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

Examples of free speech in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the 20th edition of the Foundation for Personal Rights and Expression’s (FIRE) Spotlight on Speech Codes report, colleges are quietly dismantling many of the speech restrictions that formerly defined the campus free speech debate. — Scott White, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Emily Moreno and her legal team moved to dismiss Miller’s lawsuit based on a new Ohio law that protects citizens from lawsuits designed to silence free speech on matters of public concern. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026

The case has drawn condemnation from free speech advocates, and even some conservative legal voices have denounced the charges as a threat to the First Amendment. — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 30 July 2026

These supporters span the ideological spectrum but share a fundamental commitment to free speech and press freedom. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for free speech

• beseech
• impeach
• outreach
• beach
• beech
• bleach
• breach
• breech
• each
• keech
• leach
• leech

Kids Definition

free speech

noun

: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

also : the right to such speech

Legal Definition

free speech

noun

1

: 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

2

: freedom of speech

an unconstitutional restraint on free speech

—National Law Journal