freelance

American  

[free-lans, -lans] / ˈfriˌlæns, -ˈlæns /

Or free-lance

adjective

1. of or relating to work conducted by a person who sells their services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

   a freelance writer;

   freelance copyediting.

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verb (used without object)

freelanced, freelancing

1. to sell services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

   The illustrator used to be employed by us but is freelancing now.

verb (used with object)

freelanced, freelancing

1. to produce, sell, or accomplish (something) while selling services by the hour, day, job, etc..

   Every so often I freelance a magazine article for some extra cash.

adverb

1. in the manner of one who sells services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

   She works freelance.

noun

1. freelancer.

2. a person who contends in a cause or in a succession of various causes, as they choose, without personal attachment or allegiance.

freelance British  

/ ˈfriːˌlɑːns /

noun

1. 1. Also called: freelancer.  a self-employed person, esp a writer or artist, who is not employed continuously but hired to do specific assignments

   2. ( as modifier )

      a freelance journalist

2. a person, esp a politician, who supports several causes or parties without total commitment to any one

3. (in medieval Europe) a mercenary soldier or adventurer

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verb

1. to work as a freelance on (an assignment, etc)

adverb

1. as a freelance

Etymology

Origin of freelance

First recorded in 1810–20; free + lance ¹

Example Sentences

On Tuesday, the BBC apologised for not looking into a separate allegation of "inappropriate communications" involving Mills, first reported in the Telegraph, raised by a freelance journalist last year.

From BBC

He bounced around jobs after graduation, and worked for a number of years as a freelance illustrator in London and New York.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Siegel is a freelance journalist covering international affairs, business and travel.

From The Wall Street Journal

In those five years on the road, we’d been working online as freelance writers and editors, earning enough to keep moving to the next place.

From The Wall Street Journal

She was a full-time reporter covering the brokerage industry for Dow Jones Newswires for four years before her freelance career, contributing regularly to national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• self-employed