free agent

IPA/ˌfriː ˈeɪdʒənt/
IPA/ˌfriː ˈeɪdʒənt/

free agent — noun

1. a paid athlete between teams who is allowed to join whichever club offers a new

1.nounB2
Definition

a paid athlete between teams who is allowed to join whichever club offers a new deal.

Example

After June ended, Anjali became a free agent and met three coaches.

become a free agent

By midnight, Mizuki signed with Seoul after one week as a free agent.

sign with a team as a free agent

Common collocations
  • become a free agent
  • sign a free agent
  • top free agent
  • free agent market
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

become a free agent

sign with a team as a free agent

the best free agent on the market

Usage Note

Used mainly in professional sports after a player's old contract has ended. A club signs a free agent directly instead of trading for that player.

Common Mistakes

The club traded for a free agent yesterday.
The club signed a free agent yesterday.
a free agent is available without a trade.

2. a person not tied to any boss, group, or family pressure, and able to decide mat

2.nounC1
Definition

a person not tied to any boss, group, or family pressure, and able to decide matters alone.

Example

After leaving the firm, Paloma worked as a free agent for several charities.

work as a free agent

In the family business, Adaeze stayed a free agent and refused every alliance offer.

Common collocations
  • act as a free agent
  • remain a free agent
  • free agent in politics
  • free agent in business
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • loyalist

    stresses steady support for one group or side

  • follower

    suggests accepting direction from others

Grammar Patterns

work as a free agent

vote like a free agent

act as a free agent

Usage Note

Often describes someone in work, politics, or family life who refuses outside control. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about personal independence, not sports contracts.

Common Mistakes

She is a free agent, so she has no friends.
She is a free agent, so she makes her own choices.
the phrase is about independence, not loneliness.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

For noun/2, free agent highlights room to choose without being tied to one side. A freelancer is mainly a work label for someone paid by project, so it does not always suggest personal independence. A free spirit sounds warmer and more emotional, often about lifestyle or taste. A maverick is stronger and more confrontational, stressing open resistance to the group line. A lone wolf focuses on preferring to work alone and can sound less social than free agent. Someone can be both a free agent and a maverick, but free agent points first to flexibility, not rebellion. A senator may vote as a free agent, while a designer may simply work as a freelancer.

freelancer ↗free spiritmaverick ↗lone wolf ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishFrenchLatinModern English

This phrase combines free, an old English word for not being under another person's control, with agent, a word that came into English through French from Latin for someone who acts. The compound first described a person able to act without being tied to one master or group. Sports later made it especially familiar for players whose contract has ended and who can choose a new team.

First known use

1955

1955, in the meaning defined above