carte blanche
noun
plural cartes blanches
ˈkärt(s)-ˈblänch 
-ˈbläⁿsh
-ˈbläⁿsh
: full discretionary (see discretion sense 1a) power
was given carte blanche to furnish the house
Did you know?
Carte blanche is much like a blank check. In French, carte means "document" and blanche means "blank," so the phrase means "blank document." English retained that literal meaning: a carte blanche was a blank document signed in advance by one party and given to the other with permission to fill in conditions later. Much like blank check, carte blanche also took on the extended meaning "complete freedom."
Examples of carte blanche in a Sentence
We gave the decorator carte blanche to furnish the house.
Recent Examples on the Web
But that does not accord the president carte blanche.
—
The Editors, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Yonezawa has carte blanche, and her resulting artwork is to be unveiled some time later this year.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 10 Jan. 2025
And if this deal falls apart—as all previous proposals have—there is a very plausible scenario where all this begins with Benjamin Netanyahu receiving carte blanche to minimize humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza and ratcheting up the war.
—John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Her pitch was simple: Homosexuality is a sin, and if homosexuals were given carte blanche to glamorize their ‘deviate lifestyle’ in Miami-area classrooms, the American family would be destroyed and the American way of life would disappear.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for carte blanche 
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The Editors, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Yonezawa has carte blanche, and her resulting artwork is to be unveiled some time later this year.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 10 Jan. 2025
And if this deal falls apart—as all previous proposals have—there is a very plausible scenario where all this begins with Benjamin Netanyahu receiving carte blanche to minimize humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza and ratcheting up the war.
—John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Her pitch was simple: Homosexuality is a sin, and if homosexuals were given carte blanche to glamorize their ‘deviate lifestyle’ in Miami-area classrooms, the American family would be destroyed and the American way of life would disappear.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for carte blanche
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Cite this Entry
“Carte blanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carte%20blanche. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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