discretion

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.

While civil-rights laws prohibit banks from discrimination in connection with their lending, firms have wide discretion around whom they decide to bank.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

That led them to “reject the mandatory statutes, which they regarded as barbaric, but uphold the guided discretion approach.”

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

When looking at companies that clear those bars, the index committee then has discretion over which companies to include, and may informally consider factors like sector weightings.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

District Judge Dena Coggins on Sept. 11, and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, at the discretion of the court and the federal sentencing guidelines.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Secrecy in Karhide is to an extraordinary extent a matter of discretion, of an agreed, understood silence—an omission of questions, yet not an omission of answers.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin