free vote

British

noun

a parliamentary division in which members are not constrained by a party whip

"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

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.

In this menacing climate anything approaching a free vote is unimaginable.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

MPs had a free vote in both of this week's votes.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2025

MPs are set to get a free vote next week - meaning they will not be told how to vote by their party - on a change to the law.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2025

MPs have been given a free vote, meaning they can decide based on their conscience rather than having to follow a party line.

From BBC • May 15, 2025

The victory, therefore, was all the more welcome to us because it was the result of a free vote of the House.

From The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume VI by Harper, Ida Husted

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