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.

“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

Bulgaria has given free rein to administrator Spetsov to sell the refinery with the government's consent.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 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