rent-free

American  

[rent-free] / ˈrɛntˈfri /

adverb

1. without payment of rent.

   We lived rent-free for six months.

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adjective

1. not subject to rent.

   a rent-free apartment.

rent-free British  

adjective

1. without payment of rent

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Etymology

Origin of rent-free

First recorded in 1625–35; rent ¹ + -free

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rent-free

That program allows university students to live rent-free in small apartments within the Humanitas retirement community in exchange for spending at least 30 hours a month interacting with older residents.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

He lived rent-free, helping her with health-related issues and other tasks.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

I can’t remember which season where you read your reviews and throw the iPad overboard, but it lives in my mind rent-free.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

The U.S. already maintains a large military-base in northern Greenland rent-free.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

Curtis worked as a superintendent in an apartment house in Manhattan and he and Minnie were well-off compared to most black folks who came up from the South, because they lived rent-free.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride