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
Showing two high jewelry collections a year, Choisne let her imagination run wild with innovation as the cornerstone of the carte blanche expression shown in July.
—
Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025
For his New York program, Japan Society offered Hasumi carte blanche — a rare honor previously extended to figures such as Susan Sontag and art photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
That doesn’t mean that local residents have given carte blanche for the mall to be turned into anything.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
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Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025
For his New York program, Japan Society offered Hasumi carte blanche — a rare honor previously extended to figures such as Susan Sontag and art photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
That doesn’t mean that local residents have given carte blanche for the mall to be turned into anything.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
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
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 3 Nov. 2025.
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