freestyle
Americannoun
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freestyles
plural
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Swimming.
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a competition in which any of the standard strokes may be used, according to the swimmer's choice.
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the crawl.
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Wrestling. a style of wrestling in which the contestants are permitted to trip, tackle, and use holds below the waist.
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a sports performance or routine featuring relatively free, unrestricted movement, or intended to demonstrate an individual's special skills or style, such as in figure skating, gymnastics, surfing, or skateboarding.
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Also called freestyle rapping. Also called freestyle rap,. a style of rap in which the topic, rhymes, and rhythm are improvised.
Her first breakout rap album was all freestyle.
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a rap that is improvised throughout.
He's known for his freestyles.
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verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a competition or race, as in swimming, in which each participant may use a style of his or her choice instead of a specified style
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an amateur style of wrestling with an agreed set of rules
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Also called: all-in wrestling. a style of professional wrestling with no internationally agreed set of rules
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a series of acrobatics performed in skiing, etc
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( as modifier )
a freestyle event
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of freestyle
Explanation
In sports, a freestyle race allows the athlete to choose between different methods of competing. Swimmers can use any stroke in a freestyle event (though they almost always choose the front crawl). In swimming, freestyle is synonymous with the crawl — but that's only because most swimmers choose to swim this fast stroke in freestyle races. Officially, freestyle offers a choice between crawl, breaststroke, butterfly, or backstroke. Sports that allow for creativity are often described as freestyle, too, like freestyle BMX events and freestyle skiing, both of which involve jumps and tricks. Freestyle was coined from the idea that athletes are free to choose the style they prefer.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The 35-year-old claimed bronze in the men's 50m freestyle at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and told France TV: "Two years later, I'm announcing the end."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The bouncy freestyle rhythm in “Soho” melts into feverish pop harmonies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The 21-year-old - a Loughborough University student - is entered in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events as he makes his debut at a major championships.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
He finished third in the 800m freestyle and fourth in the 1500m at the British Championships earlier this year.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
And then outta nowhere he tosses the football to the side and takes off sprinting toward the water, dives under and starts swimmin’ freestyle like he’s damn Michael Phelps.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
"But when she freestyles, doing new exercises… she puts all her heart into it," she says.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2023
He cut his teeth mixing freestyles for Argentine rappers in the late 2010s, including for Latin Grammy-nominated MCs like Duki, Nicki Nicole and Paulo Londra.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2023
She showed up for Friday’s preliminary round and qualified first in her individual events — the 50- and 100-yard freestyles — despite barely being able to walk.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2022
Jammer’s basement hosted early collaborations, freestyles and recordings, memorialized by the layers of artists’ tags covering the walls.
From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2022
“I wrote the song, and I came up with the freestyles on the spot just like you’re supposed to do in a battle. What are you trying to say?”
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
