free agent
Americannoun
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a person who is self-determining and is not responsible for their actions to any authority.
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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.
noun
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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.”
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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]
Other Word Forms
- free agency noun
- free agentry noun
Etymology
Origin of free agent
First recorded in 1840–50
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.
“I recruited ‘em, I signed them as free agents.
From Los Angeles Times
If unanswered, the questions will surface again this summer, when Reaves becomes a free agent and can command a maximum contract of $241 million over five years.
From Los Angeles Times
“While the free agent market is far from over, it is gratifying to see players at all levels being rewarded for their incredible accomplishments by those clubs that are trying to win without excuses.”
From Los Angeles Times
Other clubs reportedly interested in Guehi, including Liverpool once again and Bayern Munich, were understood to be targeting a move at the end of the season, when Guehi was due to be a free agent.
From Barron's
Willis is set to be a free agent once this season ends, with plenty of teams desperate for answers at quarterback.
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.
