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

US district judge Rita Lin said in the ruling that citing national security "is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics".

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 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

But a merger with Ares Acquisition, a blank check company backed by the Los Angeles firm, was scuttled in October 2023 as investors cooled on special-purpose acquisition companies and became cautious on new issues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

Friday’s move represented an 18% jump from the stock’s previous closing price, after Xanadu went public through a business combination with a publicly traded blank check company.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

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