independents

Noun

independent (plural independents)

1. A candidate or voter not affiliated with any political party, a freethinker, free of a party platform.
   • “Independents opposed the bill by around a 3-to-1 margin … The KFF and Fox News polls – the ones with the fewest undecideds – showed 7 in 10 independents opposed it,” Blake wrote.2025 June 27, Zachary B. Wolf, “Trump is losing support among independent voters. Who are they?”, in CNN
2. A neutral or uncommitted person.
3. A small, privately owned business.
   • It’s a great hub for shopping: the high street is pedestrianised and many of the town’s 600-odd listed buildings house fabulous independents – speciality food stores, cafes, antique shops, clothing boutiques.2022 November 25, Sarah Baxter et al., “Britain's 15 best high streets – where Christmas shopping is a pleasure”, in The Telegraph, archived from the original on 25 Nov 2022
4. A team not affiliated with any league or conference.

See all 11 meanings of independent