free rider
Americannoun
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Informal. a person who obtains something without effort or cost.
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a nonunion worker who enjoys the benefits of union activities.
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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.
"To avoid free rider behaviour, Saudi Arabia could threaten to put 1 million bpd back on the market within 30 days, which would lead to a drop in prices," another OPEC+ source said.
From Reuters • Jun. 9, 2023
Optimism is also assuming that someone else will do the hard work and that you can be a type of free rider for other people's labor and struggle and sacrifices.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2020
“He argues that he is not a free rider on a bus headed for a destination that he wishes to reach but is more like a person shanghaied for an unwanted voyage.”
From New York Times • Jun. 27, 2018
Many in the U.S. and around the world have expressed skepticism about investing in efforts to fight climate change, arguing that costly efforts would lead to a free rider problem of sorts.
From Time • Sep. 25, 2015
"Good luck to ye, for a free rider and a bold!" shouted the washerwoman, as he passed.
From The Spy by Cooper, James Fenimore
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.
