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)

freelanced, freelancing

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)

freelanced, freelancing

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

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

Etymology

Origin of freelance

First recorded in 1810–20; free + lance ¹

Example Sentences

Miller is a freelance writer in Brooklyn who frequently writes about movies.

From Los Angeles Times

Quintero, who lacked the funds to finish college, struggles as a freelance audiovisual producer.

From Los Angeles Times

But the amount varies based on what gigs he brings in as a freelance content strategist.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a sometimes tetchy exchange, Sherborne put to the former editor that a series of journalists did not obey the ban and continued paying private investigators and freelance journalists for unlawful information.

From BBC

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

Related Words

• self-employed