Word
Definitions
01independent worker
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. someone who works for different companies at different times rather than being employed by one company.
n. a person who acts independently rather than being under contract to a single employer; often used in creative or technical industries.
“After ten years at the newspaper, she decided to become a freelance and work from home.”
“The agency relies heavily on a network of experienced freelances to handle overflow work during the peak marketing season.”
Usage
While 'freelancer' is now more common as a noun, 'freelance' remains standard in this sense.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02self-employed
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. doing work for several different companies rather than for just one.
adj. relating to or denoting a person who works for different companies rather than being permanently employed by one.
“He earns a good living doing freelance graphic design for various tech startups.”
“The company hired a freelance consultant to oversee the transition to the new software system.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03to work independently
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to work for yourself and sell your services to different clients.
v. to work as a freelance; can be used without an object or with a specific service as the object.
“She has been freelancing for several years and enjoys the flexible schedule.”
“He spent the summer freelancing his coding skills to local businesses while searching for a full-time position.”
04medieval mercenary
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · Literary
n. a soldier in the past who was not loyal to one king and would fight for anyone who paid them.
n. a medieval mercenary soldier whose loyalties were not fixed to a specific lord or nation.
“The old stories tell of a brave freelance who fought in many foreign wars.”
“The term originally described a medieval freelance whose lance was not sworn to any particular lord's service.”
Teaching tip
This is the historical origin of the modern word; it is rarely used today except in historical fiction or etymological discussions.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “freelance” in context.
Real-World Examples
“Rachael Jardine, a freelance journalist based in New Cross, told BBC London that trains on a nearby Overground track were continuing to pass despite the "thick black smoke".” “Examples include Uber and Lyft drivers, food delivery drivers, computer programmers and freelance journalists.” Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/freelance
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0