free ride

A 'free ride' refers to receiving a benefit or advantage without paying the usual cost or contributing effort, often at the expense of others.

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Definition

B2General

(informal, idiomatic)An opportunity or advantage received without effort or cost.

Example

  • He got a free ride to the concert because his friend had an extra ticket.

C1Finance

(technical)The practice of buying and selling shares or other securities without actually having the capital to cover the trade.

Example

  • The investor was caught taking a free ride, leading to penalties from the financial regulators.

C1Games

(poker)A hand in which a player can remain without betting further money.

Example

  • She got a free ride in the poker game because no one raised the bet.

C1Economics

(technical)The issue where individuals benefit from a public good without contributing to its cost.

Example

  • The free-rider problem often leads to the underfunding of public services.

B2Sports

(informal)Engaging in activities like skiing, snowboarding, or mountain biking in natural, un-groomed terrain.

Example

  • Freeriding down the untouched mountain was an exhilarating experience.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "free ride":

free riderfree passfull ridepay the freightride alongfreedom ridefree and easygo freerough rideride offticket to rideride downride byfree of chargetake for a ridefree reinfree usefree ballfor freeride out