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
Recent Examples on the Web
Every single person on American soil, including immigrants and visitors, has the right to free speech and other fundamental freedoms.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Last year, a national First Amendment organization ranked IU as the worst public university in the country for fostering and protecting free speech on campus and largely cited the university's response to the encampment.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 30 Oct. 2025
Weems said most of Bushart's posts were not against the law and would be recognized by free speech.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 30 Oct. 2025
Of the other four, two routinely call themselves free speech advocates and two are largely silent on the issue.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free speech
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Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Last year, a national First Amendment organization ranked IU as the worst public university in the country for fostering and protecting free speech on campus and largely cited the university's response to the encampment.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 30 Oct. 2025
Weems said most of Bushart's posts were not against the law and would be recognized by free speech.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 30 Oct. 2025
Of the other four, two routinely call themselves free speech advocates and two are largely silent on the issue.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 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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