free hand

noun

ˈfrē-ˈhand How to pronounce free hand (audio)
Definition of free handnext
as in authorization
the right to act or move freely gave him free hand in managing the club

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of free hand Down the block, a Middle Eastern kid sits on the stoop of a brick apartment building, talking on a phone, gesticulating with his free hand. — Literary Hub, 12 June 2026 The direction – which was visibly obeyed – is nothing new for repeat attendees of Welch’s shows, who have endured the agony of a phone-free hand for two minutes. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for free hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free hand
  1. authorization
  2. latitude
  3. freedom
  4. control
Noun
  • Human authorization, autonomous execution Harmattan AI describes IRIFI as autonomous rather than fully independent.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Florida has separately crafted a Canadian prescription drug importation program with authorization from the federal government, but that initiative has stalled.
    — Fatima Hussein, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of authorization
Noun
  • The weather determines everything in these southerly latitudes of Patagonia.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The woman's attorneys argued that the decision wrongly gives school officials wide latitude to squelch political speech based on their personal ideas of what is vulgar.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of latitude
Noun
  • The dehumanization of Black people represented by the persistence of Confederate iconography in mainstream culture became an underground signifier of the precariousness of the freedoms enshrined by the 14th Amendment.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • This album is not afraid of its own agonizing lows or tethered to a toe-tapping dance-pop initiative; reveling in this ever-molting freedom, Sivan drops what is easily his finest collection of songs to date.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of freedom
Noun
  • Badly injured, Captain Machchhar somehow opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower al-Hammami, and two off-duty pilots to take control of the plane and land it in Saudi Arabia.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In recent years, business has also benefited from factors outside the company’s control, like a country music resurgence boosting the sale of acoustic guitars and Taylor Swift inspiring more young women to take up the instrument.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of control

Browse Nearby Words

free-for-alls
free hand
freehanded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Free hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20hand. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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