free speech
noun
: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
also
: the right to such speech
… speakers were allowed to exercise their constitutional right of free speech … —
Harold Ickes
Harold Ickes Examples of free speech in a Sentence
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They have been blamed for undermining free speech, meritocracy, and America itself.
—Nina Stachenfeld, Twin Cities, 30 Nov. 2025
His intellectually challenging plays explored Shakespeare, science, philosophy, and 20th-century tragedies while championing free speech and human rights.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
The ban, which passed in July, has sparked a First Amendment debate, with free speech groups calling it unconstitutional.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Noting how fashion is a powerful form of communication, for both designers and wearers, The Fashion Law Institute’s founder Susan Scafidi said the latest Chechen restrictions on women’s dress are effectively a limitation on free speech and freedom of religion.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 2025
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Nina Stachenfeld, Twin Cities, 30 Nov. 2025
His intellectually challenging plays explored Shakespeare, science, philosophy, and 20th-century tragedies while championing free speech and human rights.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
The ban, which passed in July, has sparked a First Amendment debate, with free speech groups calling it unconstitutional.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Noting how fashion is a powerful form of communication, for both designers and wearers, The Fashion Law Institute’s founder Susan Scafidi said the latest Chechen restrictions on women’s dress are effectively a limitation on free speech and freedom of religion.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 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 6 Dec. 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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