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.
“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
Born in 1827, Stanley was the eldest of 10 children given free rein to develop their own thoughts and beliefs.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
Sephora gave shoppers free rein to schmear on lipstick and play with eye shadow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
In portraying Jesus, Mary and Joseph with patchwork cloth lacking facial features, artist Victoria-Maria Geyer said she hoped to craft an inclusive version of the Christmas tradition which left "free rein for everyone's imagination".
From Barron's ● Dec. 2, 2025
All in all, it seemed to Penelope that a modest amount of optimism could safely be given free rein.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
