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
Khamenei also gave the Guard a free hand to build a network of businesses and dominate the economy.
—
Lee Keath, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Khamenei also gave the Guard a free hand to build a network of businesses and dominate the economy.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
On the more remote east coast and in the far north, colonization took root more slowly, leaving explorers such as American Robert Peary and traders such as Danish-Greenlandic Knud Rasmussen a free hand to employ and trade with local people.
—Genevieve Lemoine, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2026
In practice, this meant a free hand was given to the tech sector, with regulations either conspicuously absent or curiously facilitating.
—Nick Srnicek, Wired News, 14 Jan. 2026
Russian officials indicated in 2019 that the Kremlin would be willing to back off from its support for Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in exchange for a free hand in Ukraine, according to Fiona Hill, an advisor to President Trump at the time.
—Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
More often than not, Israel had a free hand, and effective U.S. military protection against the Iranian attack may have given Israel greater confidence to launch riskier operations in later months.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
With the 2010 Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court that legalized payoffs to politicians, anti-competitive collusion and price-fixing was given a free hand.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2025
Even so, even in places where Democrats have a free hand to do their own shenanigans, such as Oregon and Illinois, there aren’t many districts that haven’t already been designed to their advantage.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 4 Aug. 2025
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Lee Keath, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Khamenei also gave the Guard a free hand to build a network of businesses and dominate the economy.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
On the more remote east coast and in the far north, colonization took root more slowly, leaving explorers such as American Robert Peary and traders such as Danish-Greenlandic Knud Rasmussen a free hand to employ and trade with local people.
—Genevieve Lemoine, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2026
In practice, this meant a free hand was given to the tech sector, with regulations either conspicuously absent or curiously facilitating.
—Nick Srnicek, Wired News, 14 Jan. 2026
Russian officials indicated in 2019 that the Kremlin would be willing to back off from its support for Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in exchange for a free hand in Ukraine, according to Fiona Hill, an advisor to President Trump at the time.
—Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
More often than not, Israel had a free hand, and effective U.S. military protection against the Iranian attack may have given Israel greater confidence to launch riskier operations in later months.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
With the 2010 Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court that legalized payoffs to politicians, anti-competitive collusion and price-fixing was given a free hand.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2025
Even so, even in places where Democrats have a free hand to do their own shenanigans, such as Oregon and Illinois, there aren’t many districts that haven’t already been designed to their advantage.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“A free hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20free%20hand. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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