freelance

American  

[free-lans, -lans] / ˈfriˌlæns, -ˈlæns /

Or free-lance

adjective

1. of or relating to work conducted by a person who sells their services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

   a freelance writer;

   freelance copyediting.

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verb (used without object)

• freelances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• freelanced,
  past participle,  past
• freelancing
  present participle

1. to sell services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

   The illustrator used to be employed by us but is freelancing now.

verb (used with object)

• freelances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• freelanced,
  past participle,  past
• freelancing
  present participle

1. to produce, sell, or accomplish (something) while selling services by the hour, day, job, etc..

   Every so often I freelance a magazine article for some extra cash.

adverb

1. in the manner of one who sells services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

   She works freelance.

noun

• freelances
  plural

1. freelancer.

2. a person who contends in a cause or in a succession of various causes, as they choose, without personal attachment or allegiance.

freelance British  

/ ˈfriːˌlɑːns /

noun

1. 1. Also called: freelancer.  a self-employed person, esp a writer or artist, who is not employed continuously but hired to do specific assignments

   2. ( as modifier )

      a freelance journalist

2. a person, esp a politician, who supports several causes or parties without total commitment to any one

3. (in medieval Europe) a mercenary soldier or adventurer

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verb

1. to work as a freelance on (an assignment, etc)

adverb

1. as a freelance

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• freelances
  plural

Participles

• freelancing
  present
• freelanced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• freelance
  simple
• freelances
  simple
• have freelanced
  perfect
• has freelanced
  perfect
• am freelancing
  progressive
• are freelancing
  progressive
• is freelancing
  progressive
• have been freelancing
  perfect progressive
• has been freelancing
  perfect progressive

Past

• freelanced
  simple
• had freelanced
  perfect
• was freelancing
  progressive
• were freelancing
  progressive
• had been freelancing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will freelance
  simple
• will have freelanced
  perfect
• will be freelancing
  progressive
• will have been freelancing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of freelance

First recorded in 1810–20; free + lance ¹

Explanation

To freelance is to work independently, instead of for a long-term employer. If you do freelance work, you’re free to say yes or no to any project. Anyone can work freelance (as a freelancer), but it’s often a writer or artist. To freelance is the opposite of working for one employer full-time and long-term. A freelancer — who could be a writer, a designer, or one of many other jobs — probably has many employers. The word comes from the Middle Ages, for "medieval mercenary warrior," which makes sense, since a mercenary is someone who fights for hire. It’s a free (not bound by a country) lance (sword). The pen is mightier than the sword, so these days freelance often refers to writers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

freelance freelances freelanced freelancing

You can do this by taking up some freelance work or volunteering.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

As a freelance writer based in the South, I immediately realized I needed to become obsessed with the details of this case and start reporting.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

The student, who is also a freelance translator, has also found it hard to concentrate on lectures knowing he could be missing out on work opportunities.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Your relationships may also change during the luteal phase, Newson says - which is something freelance journalist Henrietta experiences.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Lori was working as a freelance artist specializing in fantasy, illustrating calendars and game boards and book jackets.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Now Ms. Woodland freelances for museums part time, and she’s able to do hands-on work with their collections, something she finds very fulfilling.

From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2022

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” says Kim, who freelances full time as a copywriter.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2021

Even more dispiriting to the self-described workaholic who freelances in theater was that work was drying up as venues shut down.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2021

Wigham freelances for musical theater productions at local schools, where she has noticed a decline in trained musicians.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 2, 2017

A freebooter, named Franquet d'Arras, had, at the head of a band of about three hundred English freelances, held all the country-side in terror round about Lagny.

From Joan of Arc by Ronald Sutherland Gower

She began writing straight out of college, freelanced for years and eventually followed a path taken by many young Filipinos: joining a multinational in the country's booming outsourcing industry.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

She also freelanced from Cambodia, covering the Khmer Rouge war crimes trials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

She has freelanced for Barron’s and other publications.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025

The 50-year-old Chicano illustrator with more than a decade of experience as an independent artist had occasionally freelanced for IDW Publishing and Image Comics, but this was his biggest opportunity to date.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024

I worked for newspapers and freelanced for magazines.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

His scammers are hustlers and apprentices with lots of free time on their hands, freelancing in an informal economy of deception held together by cellphones and copied scripts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

That was what brought me to marketing myself as an “academic editor,” and an “admissions essay advisor,” on various freelancing websites last fall.

From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026

Another way to make a change is to look around your company for other opportunities outside of your specific role, whether it’s part-time, freelancing or contracting.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026

Eventually, she quit the NGO and began freelancing for Reuters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026

I was freelancing then, working at home, and just keeping up with the few book cover assignments I’d taken on was a major effort.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• self-employed