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Synonyms

freelancer

American  
[free-lan-ser] / ˈfriˌlæn sər /
Also free lancer,

noun

  1. a person who works as a writer, designer, performer, or the like, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

Etymology

Origin of freelancer

First recorded in 1920–25; freelance ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. )

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.

Barcelo has been doing visual effects for 26 years, mostly as a freelancer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"So when you download software, when an SME uses the cloud, when a freelancer sells a design service abroad, there are no taxes at the border," she said.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

In direct messages between client and freelancer, matters of A.I. usage and ghostwriting can be discussed.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

The reporting won him the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, making him the first freelancer ever to win in that category.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

I forget the year it was launched and if I was still a freelancer at the Free Press Journal or on its staff.

From Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press by Various

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.