free agent

American  

noun

1. a person who is self-determining and is not responsible for their actions to any authority.

2. a professional athlete who is not under contract and is free to auction off their services and sign a contract with the team that offers the most money.

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free agent British  

noun

1. a person whose actions are not constrained by others

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free agent Idioms  

1. A person not under compulsion or constraint, not responsible to any authority for his or her actions. For example, After he quit his job, he decided to pursue the same line of work as a free agent . Originally used to describe a person subject to the philosophic concept of free will (as opposed to determinism), this expression was first recorded in 1662. Later it was extended to mean “someone not under obligation to an authority.”

2. A professional athlete who is free to sign a contract with any team. For example, After he was released from the Yankees, he was a free agent and could shop around for the team that offered the most money . [Second half of 1900s]

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Other Word Forms

• free agency noun
• free agentry noun

Etymology

Origin of free agent

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Nearly 80% of the league will be free agents shortly after when free agency kicks off and players can sign for more lucrative deals.

From Los Angeles Times

Skubal, who is set to become a free agent next winter, pitched just three innings against Great Britain in the opening round and then left the team to return to the Detroit Tigers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Huff was an undrafted free agent who played in college at Memphis before signing with the New York Jets in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times

Mitchell joins the Chargers after the Ravens opted not to tender the restricted free agent.

From Los Angeles Times

Players so young and so talented don’t become free agents all that often.

From The Wall Street Journal