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 )

---

adjective

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

   a freehand drawing

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

See Examples For:

free hand

Ms. Rodríguez doesn’t have an entirely free hand in the dictatorship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

"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

EU policy has in effect given Aliyev "a free hand", says Eldar Mamedov, a former Latvian diplomat who served as foreign policy adviser to the European Parliament's Social Democrat group.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025

Anya raised her free hand, trying to figure out what had him snagged, and he grabbed her.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack