free speech
noun
: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
also
: the right to such speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech —
Nat'l Law Jour.
Nat'l Law Jour. Examples of free speech in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Parks, on July 31, responded to the controversy by invoking free speech.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 1 Aug. 2025
This was an awesome example of a peaceful gathering, celebrating our free speech without interfering with automobile or pedestrian traffic.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Other chants focused on free speech and violence in Gaza, where more than 50,000 people have died since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
For decades the developers of first the internet and then social media have promised us free speech and systems that are objective and free from top-down idealogical bias.
—Pia Lauritzen, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
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Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 1 Aug. 2025
This was an awesome example of a peaceful gathering, celebrating our free speech without interfering with automobile or pedestrian traffic.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Other chants focused on free speech and violence in Gaza, where more than 50,000 people have died since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
For decades the developers of first the internet and then social media have promised us free speech and systems that are objective and free from top-down idealogical bias.
—Pia Lauritzen, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for free speech
Cite this Entry
“Free speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20speech. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
free speech
noun1
: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
setting off an alarm bell is not free speech—A. M. Dershowitz
A. M. Dershowitz2
: freedom of speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech—National Law Journal
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