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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.

“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

The fair also allowed employees to live rent-free on the fairgrounds.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

He is letting his son stay in one of the residences rent-free until it sells.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 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

Instant cringe, because now she knew she lived rent-free in my head.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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