as in free hand
permission to do something in any way you choose to do it
We gave the decorator carte blanche to furnish the house.
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Recent Examples of carte blanche
World champion Alysa Liu has developed such a good relationship with one of her favorite artists, Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, that the American essentially has carte blanche to use her music in any programs.
—
Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Trump can apparently give himself and his friends carte blanche to commit crimes, while deeming anybody who opposes him a criminal.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Featuring a bedroom, lounge and private dining area, bathroom, library and tea room, JR was given carte blanche on the redesign of the 23-meter (75-foot) long former sleeping car.
—Tom Page, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Yet despite horrific incident after horrific incident, AI companies retain carte blanche to sell products with zero meaningful safety standards or oversight.
—Michael Kleinman, Time, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Trump can apparently give himself and his friends carte blanche to commit crimes, while deeming anybody who opposes him a criminal.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Featuring a bedroom, lounge and private dining area, bathroom, library and tea room, JR was given carte blanche on the redesign of the 23-meter (75-foot) long former sleeping car.
—Tom Page, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Yet despite horrific incident after horrific incident, AI companies retain carte blanche to sell products with zero meaningful safety standards or oversight.
—Michael Kleinman, Time, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carte blanche
Noun
-
The 5-foot-7 junior showed slick moves to the basket and a nice shooting touch, aided by the referees’ unwillingness to whistle her for using her free hand to ward off defenders.—
Tris Wykes,
Twin Cities,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In the footage, Wang is moving slowly and supporting the child’s head and neck with his free hand.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His blank check officially cleared — is anyone willing to give him another $100 million to adapt a Thomas Pynchon novel?—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
-
But elections are not a blank check for dysfunction.—
Jodi Balma,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Carte blanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carte%20blanche. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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