free rein

Definition of free rein

: unrestricted liberty of action or decision

Examples of free rein in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Lotus is offering 15 base colors for the Evija, but there will also be a color-matching process to give free rein to any buyer looking for a unique hue. — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, "2021 Lotus Evija Still Coming This Year, and Future Owners Can Spec It," 29 Apr. 2020 After that, Audi's designers can give their creativity free rein. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Here’s why Tony Stark drove an Audi in the Avengers movie," 29 Apr. 2020 Cars can navigate through a neighborhood, but they aren’t given free rein. — John King, SFChronicle.com, "During coronavirus crisis, traffic restricted on some local streets. Berkeley’s done it for years," 24 Apr. 2020 The silken tones that Meghan employed on the legal series Suits and which were often muzzled during her time as a full-time royal are now given free rein... — Katherine J Igoe, Marie Claire, "The Reviews for Disney's 'Elephant' With Meghan Markle Are In," 1 Apr. 2020 Pastoralists, who once had free rein of Kenya’s lands, must deal with the same challenges. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "The Last Giraffes on Earth," 13 Mar. 2020 Aside from giving pet parents free rein to spoil their dogs more than usual, the annual holiday is meant to spread awareness on the need for fosters and adopters at animal shelters across the country, according to NationalDayCalendar.com. — Rebecca Hennes, Houston Chronicle, "Readers share photos of their pups on National Puppy Day," 23 Mar. 2020 Fans of games like Dungeons & Dragons know that the fun comes, in part, from a creative Dungeon Master—an all-powerful narrator who follows a storyline but has free rein to improvise in response to players’ actions and the fate of the dice. — Will Knight, Wired, "Forget Chess—the Real Challenge Is Teaching AI to Play D&D," 28 Feb. 2020 Get your kids involved with these easy DIY Easter cupcakes by giving them free rein to draw the faces or even pipe the fur! — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Sheep Cupcakes," 27 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'free rein.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Free rein.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20rein. Accessed 2 Jun. 2020.

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