freeman

¹ American  

[free-muhn] / ˈfri mən /

noun

plural

freemen

1. a person who is free; a person who enjoys personal, civil, or political liberty.

2. a person who enjoys or is entitled to citizenship, franchise, or other special privilege.

   a freeman of a city.

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Freeman ² American  

[free-muhn] / ˈfri mən /

noun

1. Douglas Southall 1886–1953, U.S. journalist and biographer.

2. Edward Augustus, 1823–92, English historian.

3. Mary E(leanor Wilkins), 1862–1930, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

4. a male given name.

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freeman ¹ British  

/ ˈfriːmən /

noun

1. a person who is not a slave or in bondage

2. a person who enjoys political and civil liberties; citizen

3. a person who enjoys a privilege or franchise, such as the freedom of a city

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Freeman ² British  

/ ˈfriːmən /

noun

1. Cathy, full name Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman . born 1973, Australian sprinter; winner of the 200m and 400m in the 1994 Commonwealth Games and the 400m in the 2000 Olympic Games

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Other Word Forms

• nonfreeman noun

Etymology

Origin of freeman

before 1000; Middle English freman, Old English frēoman. See free, man

Example Sentences

The 69-year-old was posthumously made the city of Southend's first freeman at a ceremony attended by the then Prince of Wales in March.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2022

He said Armstrong definitely had a special aura about him as he accepted his honour as freeman of the burgh.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2022

She looked for a depiction of Balthazar or St. Maurice, two Africans who are portrayed in Renaissance art, and found a Balthazar made in Antwerp about 1515 that was modeled on a Black freeman.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2021

“A city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on a plantation,” Douglass wrote.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2018

A freeman from his appearance, dressed in striped gray trousers and a vest of cowhide.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead