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.

Many seem to have free rein so far.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 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

Noboa sees a direct link: "We're going after those who've had free rein since 2008," he said after recently touring the site with a top US official.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

Fishermen sometimes shot duck loads at them, but for the most part the gulls were given free rein on the docks; their gray white droppings stained everything.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson