freeloader

English

Alternative forms

• free-loader

Etymology

free +‎ load +‎ -er, originally US 1930s.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiːləʊdə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiloʊdɚ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

freeloader (plural freeloaders)

1. (colloquial) One who does not contribute or pay appropriately; one who gets a free ride, etc. without paying a fair share.

   Synonyms: free rider, moocher; see also Thesaurus:scrounger

2. (UK, New Zealand, Canada) A person who takes expired unsold merchandise from the back of supermarket premises.

Derived terms

• freeloader fly

Translations

one who does not contribute or pay appropriately

• Azerbaijani: müftəxor
• Catalan: paràsit (ca) m, gorrer m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不速之客 (zh) (bùsùzhīkè), 食客 (zh) (shíkè)

• Dutch: klaploper (nl) m
• Finnish: siipeilijä (fi), siivellä eläjä, vapaamatkustaja (fi)
• French: resquilleur (fr) m, resquilleuse (fr) f
• Georgian: მუქთამჭამელი (muktamč̣ameli)
• German: Schmarotzer (de) m, Trittbrettfahrer (de) m, Schnorrer (de) m
• Greek: χαραμοφάης (el) m (charamofáis), παράσιτο (el) n (parásito), τζαμπατζής (el) (tzampatzís)
• Hungarian: potyaleső (hu), potyázó (hu)
• Irish: diúgaire m, súmaire m
• Italian: scroccone (it) m, approfittatore (it) m, parassita (it) m
• Japanese: 食客 (ja) (しょっかく, shokkaku, しょっきゃく, shokkyaku)
• Latin: parasītus m, parasīta f
• Macedonian: муфте́џија m (muftédžija), муфте́џика f (muftédžika), мо́лзач m (mólzač), мо́лзачка f (mólzačka), гага́џија m (gagádžija), гага́џика f (gagádžika)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gratispassasjer m

• Polish: sęp (pl) m, pasożyt (pl) m
• Portuguese: bicão m
• Russian: нахле́бник (ru) m (naxlébnik), нахле́бница (ru) f (naxlébnica), (slang) халя́вщик (ru) m (xaljávščik), халя́вщица (ru) f (xaljávščica), тунея́дец (ru) m (tunejádec), тунея́дка (ru) f (tunejádka)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: parazit m

• Spanish: gorrón (es) m, chupóptero (es), gallofero (es), garronero m (Arg., Ur.)
• Swedish: snyltare (sv) c
• Welsh: sbwnjwr m

See also

• bludger

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “freeloader n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
• Eric Partridge (2005) “freeloader”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volumes 1 (A–I), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 798.

Anagrams

• foreleader