free ride
Americannoun
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Informal. something obtained without effort or cost.
The fact that you're the general's sondoesn't mean you'll get a free ride in the army.
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Stud Poker. a round of betting in which each player checks and therefore receives another card without having to contribute any chips to the pot.
Etymology
Origin of free ride
First recorded in 1895–1900
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.
An undergrad became a magazine staff writer and received a free ride to Columbia’s MFA program.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
But because Erle wasn’t getting a free ride and he didn’t want to take on student-loan debt, he had to work.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
It’s had a free ride in a sense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Arnold Irinco was part of a line of commuters on Thursday morning who were queuing up for a free ride provided by the government.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
“Oh, if we get out of the crevasses I’ll be fine. And if the sun ever comes out again, you get on the sledge and I’ll give you a free ride to Karhide.”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
