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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The mayor’s concern with limiting free speech is also without merit.
—Andrew Cuomo, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
The agency would have to document how Disney's diversity policies are discriminatory and present its case before an administrative law judge, said Robert Corn-Revere, chief counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit organization focused on protecting free speech.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Jimmy Kimmel saw his late-night show temporarily suspended following his comments about Kirk’s slaying, prompting outcry among the public over free speech concerns.
—Paris Barraza, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Kimmel’s defenders have said outcry over a joke is unwarranted and an attack on free speech.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
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Andrew Cuomo, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
The agency would have to document how Disney's diversity policies are discriminatory and present its case before an administrative law judge, said Robert Corn-Revere, chief counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit organization focused on protecting free speech.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Jimmy Kimmel saw his late-night show temporarily suspended following his comments about Kirk’s slaying, prompting outcry among the public over free speech concerns.
—Paris Barraza, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Kimmel’s defenders have said outcry over a joke is unwarranted and an attack on free speech.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
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 8 May. 2026.
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
National Law JournalLove words? Need even more definitions?
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