a free hand
noun
: the freedom to do things and make decisions without being controlled by another
Her father gave her a free hand in running the family business.
Examples of a free hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Both Cardoso and Lula also protected Brazil’s Central Bank and Finance Ministry from political pressure, giving them a free hand to pursue policies that helped the economy stabilize and then grow.
—
Eduardo Mello, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2016
The judge and the voting commissioners don’t have to pick one proposal or another; the CPUC has a free hand to accept, reject, combine or alter any recommendations — or even come up with its own plan from scratch.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024
The good news is, even if nobody has a free hand, snow makes a great cupholder.
—Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
This is one of the few areas where teams are allowed a free hand under the rulebook.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2024
Given a free hand by the university’s president, Kingman Brewster Jr., to revitalize it, Mr. Brustein brought in new teachers, opened the school to undergraduates and revised the curriculum to emphasize not only fundamentals of performance but also the intellectual literature of the theater.
—Bruce Weber, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Some favor a top-down model that might limit the private sector and allow the government a free hand.
—Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2022
Military officials denied allowing attackers a free hand, and soldiers intervened in several attacks, dispersing mobs and making several arrests, according to media reports and statements by the Israel Defense Forces.
—Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 1 July 2023
All three trims get a free hand-warmer, but balmy butts are reserved for XSE and XSE Premium buyers.
—Andrew Krok, Car and Driver, 6 Apr. 2023
Eduardo Mello, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2016
The judge and the voting commissioners don’t have to pick one proposal or another; the CPUC has a free hand to accept, reject, combine or alter any recommendations — or even come up with its own plan from scratch.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024
The good news is, even if nobody has a free hand, snow makes a great cupholder.
—Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
This is one of the few areas where teams are allowed a free hand under the rulebook.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2024
Given a free hand by the university’s president, Kingman Brewster Jr., to revitalize it, Mr. Brustein brought in new teachers, opened the school to undergraduates and revised the curriculum to emphasize not only fundamentals of performance but also the intellectual literature of the theater.
—Bruce Weber, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Some favor a top-down model that might limit the private sector and allow the government a free hand.
—Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2022
Military officials denied allowing attackers a free hand, and soldiers intervened in several attacks, dispersing mobs and making several arrests, according to media reports and statements by the Israel Defense Forces.
—Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 1 July 2023
All three trims get a free hand-warmer, but balmy butts are reserved for XSE and XSE Premium buyers.
—Andrew Krok, Car and Driver, 6 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a free hand.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near a free hand
Cite this Entry
“A free hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20free%20hand. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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