free rein
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of free rein
First recorded in 1950–55
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 show’s theme song, which comes from Emmy and Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman, who created iconic theme songs for “The Simpsons” and “Wednesday,” was given free rein.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
“One of the things I knew going into the project is that we weren’t going to have free rein access to them at every minute, every second of their time in Los Angeles,” he said.
From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026
"I got free rein on the internet basically. So I think that for me, the damage has already been done."
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
Sephora gave shoppers free rein to schmear on lipstick and play with eye shadow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
Parents who spent their days designing, building, fixing, and operating machines of transportation signed their sons up and gave free rein to their own tinkering instincts.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
