no free lunch

A form of there's no such thing as a free lunch — Nothing is free; even things that appear free often have to be paid for in the end.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of there's no such thing as a free lunch
Cite this entry
APA

no free lunch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20free%20lunch

MLA

“no free lunch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20free%20lunch. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “no free lunch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20free%20lunch.

Source: no free lunch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.