Freelance Meaning
/ˈfɹiːlɑːns/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSomeone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract.
nounA medieval mercenary.
Sentence Examples
Tom is a freelance computer programmer.
I'd like to be a freelance.
She earns her living as a freelance journalist.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The graphic designer worked as a ____ for several companies.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She decided to leave her corporate job and work as a ____ graphic designer from her home office.
Word Origin & History
From free + lance. Coined by Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe (1819; see quotation) to describe a medieval mercenary warrior or "free-lance" (indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord's services). It changed to a figurative noun around the 1860s and was recognized as a verb in 1903 by authorities such as the Oxford English Dictionary. In modern times the term has morphed into an adjective, a verb, and an adverb, as well as the derivative noun freelancer.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The objector, one Millworthy, a free-lance of journalism, was not to be so easily silenced."
— 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Where Our Commissioners Have a Remarkable Experience”, in The Land of Mist, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, published 1926, →OCLC, page 78:
"The person you are revising (the revisee) is a colleague at your own rank, or another freelance."
— 2014, Brian Mossop, Revising and Editing for Translators, page 192:
"I—I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused them—I will lead them to Hull, seize on shipping, and embark for Flanders; […] Trust me, Estoteville alone has strength enough to drive all thy Free Lances into the Humber."
— 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter IV, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, pages 98–100:
"Both work -- Jenny as a freelance writer from home, Marc full-time-plus as a civil engineer with a long commute. Jenny also takes care of their four sons, ages 20 months to 9 years, and homeschools the two oldest."
— 2007 October 30, Terry Cettina, “How to even the score on housework, kid duty”, in CNN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The graphic designer worked as a ____ for several companies.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She decided to leave her corporate job and work as a ____ graphic designer from her home office.