free ride

American

noun

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.
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.

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

Djokovic got a free ride into the Musetti showdown when rising Czech star Jakub Mensik pulled out injured, giving the 38-year-old Serb an extra day's rest.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Todd was a talented-enough baseball and football player to earn a double scholarship to USC, although a serious injury his senior year in high school cost him the free ride.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025

How many think that joy ride will be a free ride, like a bonus code at the casino?

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

The free ride may be provided by mosquitoes, fleas, lice, or tsetse flies that spread malaria, plague, typhus, or sleeping sickness, respectively.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023