rent-free

American  

[rent-free] / ˈrɛntˈfri /

adverb

1. without payment of rent.

   We lived rent-free for six months.

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adjective

1. not subject to rent.

   a rent-free apartment.

rent-free British  

adjective

1. without payment of rent

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Etymology

Origin of rent-free

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

Example Sentences

The situation, as you describe it, is a little more complicated, given that you will have five years to live in his home rent-free, except for property taxes, utilities and costs associated with other upkeep.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 20, 2026

The U.S. already maintains a large military-base in northern Greenland rent-free.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

Sir Keir Starmer is facing Lib Dem calls for a select committee inquiry into the deal that let Prince Andrew live rent-free on the 30-room Royal Lodge for two decades.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

However, I moved out five years ago, and her family is still there rent-free.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2025

Curtis worked as a superintendent in an apartment house in Manhattan and he and Minnie were well-off compared to most black folks who came up from the South, because they lived rent-free.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride