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

There’s a tendency to think that, because one has had any success at all, be it a musical callback or a greenlit freelance piece or a short story selected for publication, that they know best.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

She had to abandon her career in corporate finance due to the pain, and now works as a freelance pet-sitter when she can.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Columbia University and is a freelance journalist based in Manhattan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

A small team of likely freelance developers in Russia used Claude to build software intended to power autonomous "kamikaze" drones.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

“He worked for himself. He was a freelance junk hauler and got paid by the job.”

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

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

In addition to the garden project, Montoya also wrote a children’s book, which Ballachino submitted to the publisher she freelances with.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 24, 2019

He freelances online articles and graphics for advertising and websites.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2014

Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, Lovesey relates the travails of Mel Farran, a talented viola player who freelances for orchestras and other groups.

From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2013

Mr. Sauer and Mr. Merriman were in England for the express purpose of discrediting Lord Milner, and behind these fierce political freelances was the astute brain of the Bond Master, Hofmeyr.

From Lord Milner's Work in South Africa From its Commencement in 1897 to the Peace of Vereeniging in 1902 by W. Basil (William Basil) Worsfold

Yet she’s always freelanced through her business, Pizzagirllex, and doesn’t intend to stop now.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

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

Prior to that, she led writing groups in juvenile halls across the Bay Area and freelanced in Cairo during the Egyptian revolution and Arab Spring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

For all his talent, Williams freelanced too often last season in an effort to make big plays behind a leaky offensive line.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024

I worked for newspapers and freelanced for magazines.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

It was the logo for the freelancing website Fiverr.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Now Mahran finds an escape and purpose freelancing to create mobile apps, websites and advertisements.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

I created a profile on the freelancing website Upwork.

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

So the only advantage of working here as opposed to freelancing is that you don’t need a clientele or even a car.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• self-employed