freelancer
noun
free·lanc·er
ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)-sər 
plural freelancers
1
: a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer : freelance sense 1
hired a freelancer to write the article
… there were hundreds of photographers on the scene, some on assignment, some freelancers, most of them amateurs.—
Garrison Keillor
Garrison KeillorBut while Renzo is the ultimate company man, a lifetime employee who reports to the same office every morning, Riccardo is the prototypical freelancer, a peripatetic problem-solver with five-dozen clients.—Bruce Schoenfeld
Bruce Schoenfeld2
: a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization : freelance sense 2b
[Anthony] Grafton contrasts public intellectuals outside and inside the universities, and he takes note of today's nostalgia for the freethinkers who lived and wrote independently of deans and classrooms. But it is good to be reminded that in that golden era of freelancers such as Wilson, H. L. Mencken, and Mary McCarthy, voices like theirs were also raised in universities.—G. W. Bowersock
G. W. BowersockExamples of freelancer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Gina Grillo is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
—Gina Grillo, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Field Day connects freelancers with short-term outreach campaigns.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Hackers looking to be hired as freelancers, meanwhile, infect the companies that hire them firsthand.
—Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 28 Mar. 2026
Publications can design clear policies about AI use and disclosure and require that staffers and freelancers abide by them, including by explicitly listing the requirements in contracts.
—Vauhini Vara, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for freelancer
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gina Grillo, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Field Day connects freelancers with short-term outreach campaigns.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Hackers looking to be hired as freelancers, meanwhile, infect the companies that hire them firsthand.
—Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 28 Mar. 2026
Publications can design clear policies about AI use and disclosure and require that staffers and freelancers abide by them, including by explicitly listing the requirements in contracts.
—Vauhini Vara, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for freelancer
Cite this Entry
“Freelancer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freelancer. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
