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
Harold Ickes Examples of free speech in a Sentence
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Trump was among some Republicans celebrating Kimmel’s brief suspension from the air, while other politicians and Hollywood notables condemned ABC’s decision, calling it an attack on free speech.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 16 Nov. 2025
Shrinking freedoms Institutions like Delhi University have long been celebrated as bastions of free speech and secular thought.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Whatever Robinson thought might happen, the short-term consequences of Kirk’s killing have included federal and local crackdowns on free speech, and a rising profile for the white supremacistNick Fuentes, who is trying to fill the vacuum left by Kirk.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2025
In a year that has seen the president and his top advisors openly attack free speech and slash funding for public broadcasting, the silencing, stifling, and degradation of diverse voices via trustworthy platforms is a harbinger of a larger, more sinister cultural shift.
—Ebonie Walker, Refinery29, 14 Nov. 2025
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Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 16 Nov. 2025
Shrinking freedoms Institutions like Delhi University have long been celebrated as bastions of free speech and secular thought.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Whatever Robinson thought might happen, the short-term consequences of Kirk’s killing have included federal and local crackdowns on free speech, and a rising profile for the white supremacistNick Fuentes, who is trying to fill the vacuum left by Kirk.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2025
In a year that has seen the president and his top advisors openly attack free speech and slash funding for public broadcasting, the silencing, stifling, and degradation of diverse voices via trustworthy platforms is a harbinger of a larger, more sinister cultural shift.
—Ebonie Walker, Refinery29, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free speech
Cite this Entry
“Free speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20speech. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
free speech
noun1
: 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
A. M. Dershowitz2
: freedom of speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech—National Law Journal
National Law JournalLove words? Need even more definitions?
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