carte blanche

noun

ˈkärt-ˈblänch  -ˈbläⁿsh 

plural cartes blanches ˈkärt(s)-ˈblänch  -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

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

After years of false starts, Netflix finally greenlit the series and gave the two filmmakers carte blanche. —Huntley Woods, EW.com, 9 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, blank document

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carte blanche

• avalanche
• blanch
• branch
• cranch
• ranch
• stanch
• tranche

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