blank check

American  

noun

1. a bank check bearing a signature but no stated amount.

2. unrestricted authority; a free hand.

   He was given a blank check in the choice of personnel for the new department.

---

blank check Idioms  

1. Unrestricted authority, a free hand, as in I'll support most of the chairman's agenda, but I'm not ready to give him a blank check for the company's future. Literally this term signifies a bank check that is signed by the drawer but does not indicate the amount of money, which is filled in by the person to whom it is given. [Late 1800s]

---

Etymology

Origin of blank check

First recorded in 1790–95, and in 1885–90 blank check for def. 2

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blank check

"The Court's decision confirms that law enforcement does not have a blank check to use new technology to conduct warrantless surveillance of people's movements," Heilman said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

Given a blank check, Fennell brings the world of Brontë’s novel to life — not with staggering realism, as so many other adaptations have, but with fervent fantasy.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026

“That doesn’t mean that it’s just a blank check, you know, no regulatory oversight of large-scale consolidation,” he says on a call with analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

“To have a blank check for this level of leave — there’s no way to really plan or prepare for it from a staffing or financial standpoint, which in the end hurts students.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025

When I came back she tore out a blank check and then handed me a hundred-dollar bill she had folded in the side of her wallet.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Related Words

• free rein