free rein

noun

: unrestricted liberty of action or decision
The studio gave the director free rein over the movie.

Examples of free rein in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Michigan packed the paint on defense, basically giving the team that averaged the fifth-fewest three-point attempts in the country this year free rein from long distance, then daring Arizona to create inside. Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026 Michigan packed the paint on defense, basically giving the team that averaged the fifth-fewest 3-point attempts in the country this year free rein from long distance, then daring Arizona to create inside. Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026 Michigan packed the paint on defense, basically giving the team that averaged the fifth-fewest 3-point attempts in the country this year free rein from long distance, then daring Arizona to create inside. ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026 This throws fuel on the already burning flames of modern India’s de facto patriotic sentiments, wherein the country’s Hindu majority (via an ethnonationalist movement known as Hindutva) is given free rein, not unlike Hamza, to lynch minorities. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for free rein

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of free rein was in 1635

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Cite this Entry

“Free rein.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20rein. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

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