free rider
Americannoun
-
Informal. a person who obtains something without effort or cost.
-
a nonunion worker who enjoys the benefits of union activities.
Other Word Forms
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
“If employees have shown overwhelmingly they want collective bargaining, it seems to me the free rider problem is insignificant,” he said.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 11, 2016
He felt perfectly safe on the horse, who seemed to take delight in his free rider.
From Villa Eden: The Country-House on the Rhine by Auerbach, Berthold
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.
