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
“The corporations that own warehouses, fulfillment centers and shopping malls have had a free ride for 30 years while the public paid to clean up their mess,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
It’s had a free ride in a sense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Employees who work that late get a free ride home, and there are plenty of them.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
