freestyle
Americannoun
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freestyles
plural
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Swimming.
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a competition in which any of the standard strokes may be used, according to the swimmer's choice.
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the crawl.
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Wrestling. a style of wrestling in which the contestants are permitted to trip, tackle, and use holds below the waist.
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a sports performance or routine featuring relatively free, unrestricted movement, or intended to demonstrate an individual's special skills or style, such as in figure skating, gymnastics, surfing, or skateboarding.
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Also called freestyle rapping, freestyle rap. a style of rap in which the topic, rhymes, and rhythm are improvised.
Her first breakout rap album was all freestyle.
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a rap that is improvised throughout.
He's known for his freestyles.
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verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a competition or race, as in swimming, in which each participant may use a style of his or her choice instead of a specified style
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an amateur style of wrestling with an agreed set of rules
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Also called: all-in wrestling. a style of professional wrestling with no internationally agreed set of rules
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a series of acrobatics performed in skiing, etc
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( as modifier )
a freestyle event
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of freestyle
Explanation
In sports, a freestyle race allows the athlete to choose between different methods of competing. Swimmers can use any stroke in a freestyle event (though they almost always choose the front crawl). In swimming, freestyle is synonymous with the crawl — but that's only because most swimmers choose to swim this fast stroke in freestyle races. Officially, freestyle offers a choice between crawl, breaststroke, butterfly, or backstroke. Sports that allow for creativity are often described as freestyle, too, like freestyle BMX events and freestyle skiing, both of which involve jumps and tricks. Freestyle was coined from the idea that athletes are free to choose the style they prefer.
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.
See Examples For:
Did he anticipate being sold out by Jay-Z for personal gain, followed by hit pieces and being dissed in a freestyle many years later?
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026
At this year’s Met Gala, a version of that 2016 bubble dress—called “Seijaku,” which means “serenity”—was worn by the Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Meanwhile, France's Florent Manaudou, who won the 50m freestyle gold at the 2012 Olympics, has said he will retire after his participation at the European Aquatics Championships.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The bouncy freestyle rhythm in “Soho” melts into feverish pop harmonies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Clear of the last twigs, she trilled a soft tribute to wings and flight, and dove freestyle down the mountain to the river.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
An up-and-coming UK rapper's thanked Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda for "changing my life" after he praised one of her freestyles.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Their freestyles are constantly going viral on Instagram and TikTok, and Issa Rae tapped them for the soundtracks of her shows “Insecure” and “Rap Sh!t.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
He described a plan to put out an old-fashioned mixtape — physical copies only — featuring unreleased songs and freestyles that aren’t otherwise available on the internet or streaming services.
From New York Times ● Nov. 29, 2022
McDevitt settled for a pair of All-America Consideration time wins, in the 200 and 500 freestyles.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2022
“I wrote the song, and I came up with the freestyles on the spot just like you’re supposed to do in a battle. What are you trying to say?”
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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