Meanings
alternative there ain't no such thing as a free lunch · alternative there is no free lunch · alternative there is no such thing as a free lunch
- Nothing is free; even things that appear free often have to be paid for in the end.
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseNothing is free; even things that appear free often have to be paid for in the end.
Origin
In use since the 1930s. Popularized by the American economist Milton Friedman through the title of a 1975 book, and frequently misattributed to him.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian няма такова нещо като безплатен обяд, няма безплатен обяд
- няма такова нещо като безплатен обяд (njama takova nešto kato bezplaten objad)nothing is free; everything has a price
- няма безплатен обяд (njama bezplaten objad)nothing is free; everything has a price
Catalan ningú dóna duros a quatre pessetes
- ningú dóna duros a quatre pessetesnothing is free; everything has a price
Chinese Mandarin 天下沒有白吃的午餐 /天下没有白吃的午餐, 天下沒有免費的午餐 /天下没有免费的午餐
- 天下沒有白吃的午餐 /天下没有白吃的午餐 (tiānxià méiyǒu báichī de wǔcān)nothing is free; everything has a price
- 天下沒有免費的午餐 /天下没有免费的午餐 (tiānxià méiyǒu miǎnfèi de wǔcān)nothing is free; everything has a price
- 世上沒有免費的午餐 /世上没有免费的午餐 (shìshàng méiyǒu miǎnfèi de wǔcān)nothing is free; everything has a price
Czech žádný oběd není zadarmo
- žádný oběd není zadarmonothing is free; everything has a price
Finnish ilmaisia lounaita ei ole
- ilmaisia lounaita ei olenothing is free; everything has a price
French on n'a rien sans rien, tout a un prix
- on n'a rien sans riennothing is free; everything has a price
- tout a un prixnothing is free; everything has a price
German nichts ist umsonst, es wird einem nichts geschenkt
- nichts ist umsonstnothing is free; everything has a price
- es wird einem nichts geschenktnothing is free; everything has a price
Hebrew אין ארוחות חינם
- אין ארוחות חינם (ēn arukhot ḥinám)nothing is free; everything has a price
Hungarian semmi sincs ingyen, semmit nem adnak ingyen
- semmi sincs ingyennothing is free; everything has a price
- semmit nem adnak ingyennothing is free; everything has a price
- semmit sem adnak ajándékbanothing is free; everything has a price
Italian i soldi non crescono sugli alberi
- i soldi non crescono sugli alberinothing is free; everything has a price
Japanese 只より高いものはない
- 只より高いものはない (tada-yori takai mono-wa nai)nothing is free; everything has a price
Norwegian ingenting i livet er gratis
- ingenting i livet er gratisnothing is free; everything has a price
Polish nic nie jest za darmo
- nic nie jest za darmonothing is free; everything has a price
Portuguese não existe almoço de graça, não existe almoço grátis
- não existe almoço de graçanothing is free; everything has a price
- não existe almoço grátisnothing is free; everything has a price
Turkish bedava yemek diye bir şey yoktur
- bedava yemek diye bir şey yokturnothing is free; everything has a price
Ukrainian немає такої речі, як безкоштовний обід
- немає такої речі, як безкоштовний обід (nemaje takoji reči, jak bezkoštovnyj obid)nothing is free; everything has a price
Cite this entry
there's no such thing as a free lunch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there's%20no%20such%20thing%20as%20a%20free%20lunch
“there's no such thing as a free lunch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there's%20no%20such%20thing%20as%20a%20free%20lunch. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “there's no such thing as a free lunch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there's%20no%20such%20thing%20as%20a%20free%20lunch.
Source: there's no such thing as a free lunch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.