Meanings
plural freelances · alternative free-lance · alternative free lance
- Someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract.
The objector, one Millworthy, a free-lance of journalism, was not to be so easily silenced.
1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Where Our Commissioners Have a Remarkable Experience”, in The Land of Mist, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, published 1926, →OCLC, page 781 more example
The person you are revising (the revisee) is a colleague at your own rank, or another freelance.
2014, Brian Mossop, Revising and Editing for Translators, page 192 - historicalA medieval mercenary.
I—I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused them—I will lead them to Hull, seize on shipping, and embark for Flanders; […] Trust me, Estoteville alone has strength enough to drive all thy Free Lances into the Humber.
1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter IV, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, pages 98–100Synonyms: adventurer, bravo, condottiere, filibuster, freebooter, free companion, hired gun, hireling
comparative more freelance · superlative most freelance · alternative free-lance · alternative free lance
- Of or relating to a freelance; without a long-term employment contract.
He was a freelance writer for several magazines.
1 more example
Both work -- Jenny as a freelance writer from home, Marc full-time-plus as a civil engineer with a long commute. Jenny also takes care of their four sons, ages 20 months to 9 years, and homeschools the two oldest.
2007 October 30, Terry Cettina, “How to even the score on housework, kid duty”, in CNN
present singular third person freelances · participle present freelancing · participle past freelanced · past freelanced · alternative free-lance · alternative free lance
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA medieval mercenary.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveserving for wages in a foreign army
nouna writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*preyH-
- Proto-Indo-European*priHós
- Proto-Germanic*frijwaz
- Proto-West Germanic*friu
- Old Englishfrēo
- Middle Englishfre
- Englishfree
- Latinlancea
- Old Frenchlance
- Middle Englishlaunce
- Englishlance
- Englishfreelance
From free + lance. Coined by Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe (1819; see quotation) to describe a medieval mercenary warrior or "free-lance" (indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord's services). It changed to a figurative noun around the 1860s and was recognized as a verb in 1903 by authorities such as the Oxford English Dictionary. In modern times the term has morphed into an adjective, a verb, and an adverb, as well as the derivative noun freelancer.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan freelance, autònom
- freelanceof or relating to a freelance
- autònomof or relating to a freelance
Dutch freelancen, zzp'en
- freelancenintransitive: to work as a freelance
- zzp'enintransitive: to work as a freelance
Estonian vabakutseline, vabakutseline
- vabakutselinesomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- vabakutselineof or relating to a freelance
Finnish freelancer, freelance-
- freelancersomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- freelance-of or relating to a freelance
- vapaaof or relating to a freelance
- työskennellä freelancerinaintransitive: to work as a freelance
- tehdä freelancerinatransitive: to produce or sell services as a freelance
French pigiste, freelance
- pigistesomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- freelancesomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- mercenairemedieval mercenary
- à la pigeof or relating to a freelance
- indépendantof or relating to a freelance
German freier Mitarbeiter, freiberuflich
- freier Mitarbeitersomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- freiberuflichof or relating to a freelance
Greek ελεύθερος επαγγελματίας, ελεύθερος επιχειρηματίας
- ελεύθερος επαγγελματίας (eléftheros epangelmatías)someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- ελεύθερος επιχειρηματίας (eléftheros epicheirimatías)intransitive: to work as a freelance
- αυτοαπασχολούμενος (aftoapascholoúmenos)intransitive: to work as a freelance
Indonesian pekerja bebas, pekerja lepas
- pekerja bebassomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- pekerja lepassomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- tenaga lepassomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- prajurit upahanmedieval mercenary
- kerja lepasof or relating to a freelance
- tenaga lepasof or relating to a freelance
Irish neamhspleách
- neamhspleáchof or relating to a freelance
Italian libero professionista, freelance
- libero professionistasomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- freelancesomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- mercenariomedieval mercenary
Persian کارمزدی
- کارمزدی (kârmozdi)someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
Russian фрилансер, фрила́нсить
- фрилансер (frilanser)someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- фрила́нсить (frilánsitʹ)intransitive: to work as a freelance
Spanish freelance, free-lance
- freelancesomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- free-lancesomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- freelanceof or relating to a freelance
- free-lanceof or relating to a freelance
- freelancerof or relating to a freelance
- free-lancerof or relating to a freelance
- free lancerof or relating to a freelance
- por libreof or relating to a freelance
- por cuenta propiaof or relating to a freelance
- trabajar por cuenta propiaintransitive: to work as a freelance
- currelar por libreintransitive: to work as a freelance
- chambear como/de freelance/freelancerintransitive: to work as a freelance
Swedish frilans, frilansande
- frilanssomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
- frilansandeof or relating to a freelance
- frilansaintransitive: to work as a freelance
Thai อิสระ
- อิสระ (ìt-sà-rà)of or relating to a freelance
Turkish freelance-
- freelance-of or relating to a freelance
Ukrainian фрілансер
- фрілансер (frilanser)someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
Cite this entry
freelance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/freelance
“freelance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/freelance. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “freelance,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/freelance.
Source: freelance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.