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
The near carte blanche access Musk had in our government with his initial team of kiddie corp.
—
Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Something to remember as the current administration continues to give carte blanche to big tech companies.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 10 June 2025
By allowing Domino’s into school cafeterias, the government also is essentially giving the company carte blanche to advertise its pizza.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025
The Empire Carryall Bag 48, for instance, became a veritable sensation last fall, racking up millions of searches, selling out just as fast, and acting as a carte blanche for Jane Birkin–esque personalization (in the form of bag charms, chic scarf additions, and beyond).
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Something to remember as the current administration continues to give carte blanche to big tech companies.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 10 June 2025
By allowing Domino’s into school cafeterias, the government also is essentially giving the company carte blanche to advertise its pizza.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025
The Empire Carryall Bag 48, for instance, became a veritable sensation last fall, racking up millions of searches, selling out just as fast, and acting as a carte blanche for Jane Birkin–esque personalization (in the form of bag charms, chic scarf additions, and beyond).
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carte blanche
Noun
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And does that free hand look right?—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Remove the Old Pot To remove your monstera from its pot, tip the pot to the side, grasp the monstera’s stems with your free hand, and gently wriggle your plant out of its pot.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The Rockets don't appear to be in any rush to hand him a blank check, either.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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One of the people who slid into her DMs at the time was Wil Shipley, a software developer who basically offered her a blank check.—
Jenelle Riley,
Variety,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Carte blanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carte%20blanche. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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