free rein

noun

1. unhampered freedom of movement, choice, or action.

   Students have free rein to choose their own class schedules.

Word History and Origins

Origin of free rein¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Idioms and Phrases

see free hand.

Example Sentences

Bulgaria has given free rein to administrator Spetsov to sell the refinery with the government's consent.

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All in all, it seemed to Penelope that a modest amount of optimism could safely be given free rein.

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Paramount, which owns the franchise, gave them free rein with the material so there was no beat-by-beat reconstruction of one of the seven films.

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“It’s developed into what I do anytime I’m given free rein to teach theater to kids.”

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Unlike the case of Colbert, who has largely been given relatively free rein to cover controversial topics without network oversight, “The Smothers Brothers” was almost always in conflict with CBS’s censors.

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