carte blanche
noun
plural cartes blanches
ˈkärt(s)-ˈblänch 
-ˈbläⁿsh
-ˈbläⁿsh
: full discretionary (see discretion sense 1a) power
was given carte blanche to furnish the house
Did you know?
Carte blanche is much like a blank check. In French, carte means "document" and blanche means "blank," so the phrase means "blank document." English retained that literal meaning: a carte blanche was a blank document signed in advance by one party and given to the other with permission to fill in conditions later. Much like blank check, carte blanche also took on the extended meaning "complete freedom."
Examples of carte blanche in a Sentence
We gave the decorator carte blanche to furnish the house.
Recent Examples on the Web
Armed with the new law and guns, white kidnappers had carte blanche to snatch and enslave free Black people, too.
—
Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Tyla also dolled up both of her wrists in a variety of Pandora bracelets — like the Small-Link Chain Bracelet — that served as a carte blanche for the Talisman collection’s shiny charms.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
Still, not every architect involved has found the project’s carte blanche approach liberating.
—Siobhan Reid, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
That’s when the culinary team has carte blanche to transform leftover produce from the week into a unique pre-fixe menu to avoid excess waste.
—Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Tyla also dolled up both of her wrists in a variety of Pandora bracelets — like the Small-Link Chain Bracelet — that served as a carte blanche for the Talisman collection’s shiny charms.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
Still, not every architect involved has found the project’s carte blanche approach liberating.
—Siobhan Reid, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
That’s when the culinary team has carte blanche to transform leftover produce from the week into a unique pre-fixe menu to avoid excess waste.
—Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Cite this Entry
“Carte blanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carte%20blanche. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share