a free hand

noun

: the freedom to do things and make decisions without being controlled by another
Her father gave her a free hand in running the family business.

Examples of a free hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Israel rejects linking both battlefields, and insists on having a free hand to attack Hezbollah. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 The vote came in response to a Supreme Court decision last week that weakened the Voting Rights Act and gave Republicans a free hand to reshape majority-Black districts that routinely elect Democrats. — Patrick Marley, Washington Post, 7 May 2026 Soriano said the survey’s entire premise was a setup, since most people will vote to primarily preserve first responder service, thereby giving the city a free hand to cut other services at will. — Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026 Khamenei also gave the Guard a free hand to build a network of businesses and dominate the economy. — Lee Keath, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for a free hand

Rhymes for a free hand

See All Rhymes for a free hand

Browse Nearby Words

Afrasian
a free hand
afreet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“A free hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20free%20hand. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All