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Synonyms

free hand

American  

noun

  1. unrestricted freedom or authority.

    They gave the decorator a free hand.
free hand British  

noun

  1. unrestricted freedom to act (esp in the phrase give ( someone ) a free hand )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. (done) by hand without the use of guiding instruments

    a freehand drawing
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
free hand Idioms  

  1. Also, free rein. Freedom to do or decide as one sees fit. For example, The teacher gave her assistant a free hand with the class, or They gave me free rein to reorganize the department. The first expression dates from the late 1800s, the second from the mid-1900s.

Etymology

Origin of free hand

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Thai air force has had a free hand bombing targets inside Cambodia, which has limited air defences and no air force of its own to speak of.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

A new chairman is imposed on a department with a free hand to make whatever appointments he thinks necessary to restore the department to health.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

"So I had a free hand to launch reforms, as long as Spain's unity was not endangered."

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

In the prior regime, Sheridan had been given a free hand creatively and on spending, which Ellison and his new executive team had reportedly signaled might not continue in the same way.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 29, 2025

With her free hand, Monique was gesturing frantically at Angela.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.