freedom of religion

noun phrase

: the right to choose what religion to follow and to worship without interference

Examples of freedom of religion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Do the five freedoms mentioned in the First Amendment – freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition – apply to undocumented immigrants? —Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025

There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

There was pushback almost immediately from superintendents who announced that there would be no such change in their curriculum, along with civil liberties groups, citing the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion. —Peter Greene, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025

The court’s 6-3 conservative majority is likely to continue its trend of siding with people who say their freedom of religion is being infringed upon over those who say there’s too much entanglement between the government and religion. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2024

Rhymes for freedom of religion

• irreligion
• pigeon

Legal Definition

freedom of religion

freedom of re·​li·​gion

: the right especially as guaranteed under the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to practice one's religion or exercise one's beliefs without intervention by the government and to be free of the exercise of authority by a church through the government see also free exercise clause

Note: The freedom of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment can be overcome by a showing by the government of a compelling state interest. On this basis, practices used in some religions, such as bigamy, are prohibited despite the First Amendment guarantee.