free speech
noun
: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
also
: the right to such speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech —
Nat'l Law Jour.
Nat'l Law Jour. Examples of free speech in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Harmeet Dhillon Trump nominated Harmeet Dhillon, former vice chair of the California Republican Party, to lead the Justice Department’s office of civil rights, touting her work filing free speech lawsuits and challenges to Covid-19 restrictions in a statement.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
The passage on Thursday, a day after a lawsuit was filed seeking to overturn federal permit and fee requirements on free speech grounds, cleared the bill for consideration by President Biden, who’s expected to sign the measure.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
This triumph was one of both economic liberalism — mass consumerism — and political liberalism — free and fair democratic elections, the rule of law and free speech.
—Ben Ansell, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024
This year, the Supreme Court has heard other arguments regarding private companies that moderate social media platforms and free speech.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for free speech 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
The passage on Thursday, a day after a lawsuit was filed seeking to overturn federal permit and fee requirements on free speech grounds, cleared the bill for consideration by President Biden, who’s expected to sign the measure.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
This triumph was one of both economic liberalism — mass consumerism — and political liberalism — free and fair democratic elections, the rule of law and free speech.
—Ben Ansell, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024
This year, the Supreme Court has heard other arguments regarding private companies that moderate social media platforms and free speech.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for free speech
Dictionary Entries Near free speech
Cite this Entry
“Free speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20speech. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
free speech
noun1
: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
setting off an alarm bell is not free speech—A. M. Dershowitz
A. M. Dershowitz2
: freedom of speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech—National Law Journal
National Law JournalLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share