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to freelance

to freelance

19 4.1
To work for different companies or clients without a permanent job
  • verb
  • /ˈfriːlæns/
translation icon : trabajar como autónomo
  • Many writers choose to freelance because it allows them to work with different clients and have more flexible hours.
  • want to freelance
  • freelancing full time
  • freelancing for five years

So let's talk about growing a business and not just freelancing dressmaking.

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Examples

  • A former Wall Street Journal and Business Week reporter, he started freelancing more than 25 years ago.

    Academic text (2008)
  • I've never grown tired of it, and I've been freelancing on and off for eleven years now.

    Blog text (1)
  • And I get in there, into the code, and I decide to freelance around a little bit, right?

  • No, I freelance a little for consulting firms.

  • To get a writing job in entertainment journalism, it's impossible not to freelance in this current economy.

    Blog text (14)
  • When I started freelancing, I worked Monday through Friday, starting at about 7 a.m.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I'm from England, and I work freelance with the project on everything from weapon artwork to character artwork.

  • I have a full-time job and I freelance part-time for a magazine and a blog.

    Blog text (15)
  • Charlotte Huff, of Fort Worth, Texas, has been a journalist for 15 years, freelancing full time since 2004.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Since I graduated, I have been freelancing and performing the occasional task for Uptown Association.

    Blog text (23)

Synonyms

to hire out
vsto freelance
  • UK
5 3.9

Rent something you own or your services to someone for a short time

works independently for various companies instead of holding a permanent job

How Independent

to freelance
19 4.1
to temp
65 3.8

Surface Forms

freelance infinitive
freelanced past
freelanced past participle
freelancing present participle
freelances third person singular

Morphology

freelance = free + lance (semi-transparent) = free + lance

The compound is historically 'free' + 'lance' and 'free' conveys independence, but the modern occupational meaning is a metaphorical extension not directly inferable from 'lance'.

Etymology

The word freelance comes from free ('not tied') and lance ('spear'), like a soldier who offered his work to many leaders. That's why to freelance means to work independently for different clients rather than being employed by one company.