free ride
noun
1
: a benefit obtained at another's expense or without the usual cost or effort
… a group of students who have been assigned to do a report where only one student cares, does all the work and the others go along for a free ride …—
Roger T. Johnson and David W. Johnson
Roger T. Johnson and David W. Johnson
also
: soft or easy treatment
Generally speaking, the press has given Jacobson a free ride. —Spy
Spy 2
: an arrangement (such as a scholarship) providing a student with tuition at no cost
athletes getting a free ride at college
College officials hope that the idea of a free ride to a new engineering school with lofty ambitions will attract a highly accomplished student body …—Jeffrey Mervis
Jeffrey Mervis
free ride
intransitive verb
free rider
noun
Cite this Entry
“Free ride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20ride. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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