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rent-free

American  
[rent-free] / ˈrɛntˈfri /

adverb

  1. without payment of rent.

    We lived rent-free for six months.

adjective

  1. not subject to rent.

    a rent-free apartment.
rent-free British  

adjective

  1. without payment of rent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rent-free

First recorded in 1625–35; rent 1 + -free

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.

Given that she was living rent-free and it was a second marriage, it was hard to argue that it was fair or unfair.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

“Little did I know it was potentially on the radar for me. That’s a moment that lives rent-free in my head, that’s for sure.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

My 28-year-old son, his girlfriend and their baby live with me rent-free.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025

For now, Zach is living rent-free in a Philadelphia apartment owned by his parents, where he estimates he has applied for about 400 jobs since July, in fields from shipping to museum work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

She’ll have a rent-free apartment until the end of next year; maybe that’ll help her get back on her feet.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

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.