freelancer

noun

free·​lanc·​er ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)-sər 

plural freelancers

1

: a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer : freelance sense 1

hired a freelancer to write the article

… there were hundreds of photographers on the scene, some on assignment, some freelancers, most of them amateurs.

—Garrison Keillor

But while Renzo is the ultimate company man, a lifetime employee who reports to the same office every morning, Riccardo is the prototypical freelancer, a peripatetic problem-solver with five-dozen clients.

—Bruce Schoenfeld

2

: a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization : freelance sense 2b

[Anthony] Grafton contrasts public intellectuals outside and inside the universities, and he takes note of today's nostalgia for the freethinkers who lived and wrote independently of deans and classrooms. But it is good to be reminded that in that golden era of freelancers such as Wilson, H. L. Mencken, and Mary McCarthy, voices like theirs were also raised in universities.

—G. W. Bowersock

Examples of freelancer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And for more common tasks like graphic design, look to international freelancers who can offer competitive rates without sacrificing quality. —Yates Jarvis, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

In Latest Episode Force Majeure Clause Every freelancer aims to see a project through to the end, but anyone with experience in the field knows that roadblocks happen. —Sho Dewan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Over time, this translates into significant savings, especially for freelancers, small business owners, or professionals who use Office regularly and want to avoid recurring costs. —New Atlas, 30 Oct. 2024

Discuss What's Next and Future Innovations at Advertising Week Morse’s first byline in the Globe, written as a freelancer, was an appraisal of Vassar Clements that appeared in the newspaper in December 1975. —Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1