Synonyms

free hand

American

noun

unrestricted freedom or authority.

They gave the decorator a free hand.

free hand British

noun

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

(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

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.

Akira squeezed her eyes almost all the way shut and put her free hand out to feel where she was going.

From Literature

He held her back by the bag of bread they shared, reaching for her with his free hand when the bag threatened to rip.

From Literature

I hold my free hand out to Taylor.

From Literature

The government has “a free hand” to respond, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal

In an interview with foreign media on Monday, Katayama stated that Japan has a “free hand” to take action in the currency markets to counter movements that are out of line with economic fundamentals.

From The Wall Street Journal

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