rent-free

American

[rent-free] / ˈrɛntˈfri /

adverb

without payment of rent.

We lived rent-free for six months.

adjective

not subject to rent.

a rent-free apartment.

rent-free British

adjective

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.

See Examples For:

rent-free

That program allows university students to live rent-free in small apartments within the Humanitas retirement community in exchange for spending at least 30 hours a month interacting with older residents.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

I can’t remember which season where you read your reviews and throw the iPad overboard, but it lives in my mind rent-free.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

The charity also owned properties in Manchester in London which the union occupied rent-free.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

The Orths, who have four children, live rent-free in the farm house, which is owned by Orth’s parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026

Does your mom let you live in that basement rent-free or what?

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023