free ride

noun

1. Informal. something obtained without effort or cost:

   The fact that you're the general's sondoesn't mean you'll get a free ride in the army.

2. Stud Poker. a round of betting in which each player checks and therefore receives another card without having to contribute any chips to the pot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of free ride¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Argo AI, the autonomous vehicle technology startup backed by Ford and VW, has landed a permit in California that will allow the company to give people free rides in its self-driving vehicles on the state’s public roads.

From TechCrunch

Target provides free rides to vaccine sites, Dollar General will give employees four hours of wages to go to their appointment, and Instacart is giving $25 stipends to workers who get vaccinated.

From MIT Technology Review

Starting next week, Uber will provide free rides to anyone in the US going to and from Covid-19 vaccination sites.

From Quartz

The next stage requires more walk-in vaccination sites, free rides and door-to-door outreach, he said.

From Washington Post

Instead, Chavez said he simply got a free ride back to East Village, where he lives on the street.

From Voice of San Diego

Well, they had a free ride for a good long while before there was an honest-to-God response.

From The Daily Beast

It is an article of faith that President Obama has been given a free ride by the liberal media, in part, because of his race.

From The Daily Beast

Athletes in Baton Rouge, however, have an extra motivation, in the form of the free ride, to stick it out.

From The Daily Beast

But de Blasio—and others—have argued that this “abhorrent” arrangement amounts to giving public charters a free ride.

From The Daily Beast

Why is the agency getting what amounts to a free ride in the current inquisition?

From The Daily Beast

But if they all pick up the broadcast that this is where to get a free ride home, I'll have just another sand trap here.

From Project Gutenberg

No one was astir on it, so they cautiously crept on board, thinking to get a free ride up the river.

From Project Gutenberg

The lucky ticket gets a free ride to Lucky on one of our weekly homeseekers' excursions.

From Project Gutenberg

So whenever you kids wants a free ride, just come down to the dock and wave something.

From Project Gutenberg

Bunker Blue made a big sea-saw for the children, and every one who came to the show was to have a free ride on this.

From Project Gutenberg