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Glite Dictionary
free-lance

free-lance

3.7
A person who sells their work to different companies or people without a long contract
  • noun
  • /ˈfriːˌlæns/
translation icon : freelance
  • She works as a free-lance graphic designer.

Examples

  • The company hires free-lance writers for special projects and campaigns.

  • As a free-lance, he enjoyed the flexibility but sometimes missed a regular paycheck.

  • After ten years at the magazine, she decided to become a free-lance and choose her own clients.

  • Many free-lances struggle to find consistent work.

  • As a free-lance, he enjoyed the flexibility but sometimes missed a regular paycheck.

  • The company hires free-lance writers for special projects and campaigns.

  • After ten years at the magazine, she decided to become a free-lance and choose her own clients.

Synonyms

freelancer
vsfree-lance
38 3.9

A person who works for different clients and gets paid per job

focuses on selling services to different employers without long contracts
independent
vsfree-lance
23 4.2

A writer or artist who works for different employers without a long contract

is the identical meaning given under a different label
freelance
vsfree-lance
14 3.8

A person who works for different clients, not in a permanent job

emphasizes selling services without long-term contracts to various employers
self-employed person
vsfree-lance
2 3.6

A person who works for themselves and has no employer

focuses on selling services to various employers without a lasting contract

Antonyms

employee
∞ 1.3

A person hired by a company or another person to do paid work

How Independent

consultant
537 3.8
free-lance
3.7
contractor
354 3.9
employee
∞ 1.3

Surface Forms

free-lance singular
free-lances plural

Morphology

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

The word is a compound of 'free' + 'lance', but the modern occupational meaning ('self-employed worker') is metaphorical and derived from a historical sense (a mercenary lance), so it is not fully inferable by average learners.

Etymology

Free-lance comes from a long-ago picture of a soldier who was free ('not tied' to one lord) and carried a lance ('spear') so he could be hired by different lords. That's why a free-lance today is a person who sells their skills to different employers instead of having one permanent job.