free rein

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.

Nearly 90 percent of green spaces in Washington are under federal control, meaning the president has almost free rein to change them to his liking.

From Barron's • May 19, 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

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

He now had free rein to explore the house.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick