freeload

[ free-lohd, -lohd ]

verb (used without object)

, Informal.

1. to take advantage of others for free food, entertainment, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. to get by freeloading:

   He freeloaded several meals a week.

freeload

/ ˈfriːˌləʊd /

verb

1. slang.
   intr to act as a freeloader; sponge

Other Words From

• freeloader noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of freeload¹

1950–55, Americanism; back formation from freeloader ( free + load + -er ¹ )

Example Sentences

Married to Stanley, a man of carnal appetites and vulgar manners, Stella has embraced the crude pleasures of realism, while her freeloading sister still clings to tattered aristocratic illusions.

From Los Angeles Times

Netflix registered its third consecutive quarter of faster subscriber growth in the final three months of 2023, closing out a comeback year that included a crackdown on freeloading viewers and price hikes.

From Seattle Times

Online critics have decried “full-time children” as a euphemism for freeloading off one’s parents, which has traditionally been known by another name, kenlao — literally translated as “gnawing on the elderly.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Elizabeth Warren actually called me a freeloading grifter who doesn’t pay taxes, when I’m literally paying the most tax of any individual in history,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

When Meredith returns home from work, she isn’t too pleased that Shahid is allowing Nami to freeload, but she consents for one night only.

From Los Angeles Times