with a free hand

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.

A new chairman is imposed on a department with a free hand to make whatever appointments he thinks necessary to restore the department to health.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

Working with a free hand, the director included previously unseen George Harrison quitting the band and was able to isolate moments of conversation away from the sounds of guitars and amps.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2022

But while his centrist alliance won the most seats in Sunday's legislative elections, they fell well short of the absolute majority he needed to rule with a free hand.

From Reuters • Jun. 21, 2022

Early on, Baron sought to establish that Musk ran Tesla with a free hand in practice, despite being a minority shareholder and subject to oversight by the company’s board.

From Washington Post • Jul. 12, 2021

That he earned a great deal of money was quite manifest, for he spent it with a free hand, if a trifle too ostentatiously.

From The Red Mouse by Osborne, William Hamilton