: freedom of action or decision
Examples of freehand in a Sentence
Adjective
She took a course in freehand drawing.
Noun
gave him free hand in managing the club
Recent Examples on the Web
Sean Bennett, Teen Vogue, 21 June 2018
And throughout, all kinds of brushes and tools enable an entire palette’s worth of colors to flow, stutter, twist, suffuse and fold, while freehand additions à la de Kooning — and Mr. Green’s earlier work, as well — occasionally flit about.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2017
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
The proposal still requires approval from EU member states but, if adopted, travelers could soon be guaranteed a lot more free hand luggage than is currently standard on the region’s budget airlines.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for freehand
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.
Adjective
On set, 19-year-old artist Chella Man felt right at home in the second floor bathroom painted by Keith Haring; both Haring and Chella use a fluid, often abstract yet heavily emotive, freehand style to express themselves.
—Sean Bennett, Teen Vogue, 21 June 2018
And throughout, all kinds of brushes and tools enable an entire palette’s worth of colors to flow, stutter, twist, suffuse and fold, while freehand additions à la de Kooning — and Mr. Green’s earlier work, as well — occasionally flit about.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2017
Noun
Where Zepeda mostly looks to create space from in close, Stevenson adds a wrinkle to his game, either creating space or tying up one of his opponent's arms while looking to land with his free hand while also putting foe out of position through pressure.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
The proposal still requires approval from EU member states but, if adopted, travelers could soon be guaranteed a lot more free hand luggage than is currently standard on the region’s budget airlines.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for freehand
Cite this Entry
“Freehand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freehand. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
freehand
1 of 2 adjective
free·hand
ˈfrē-ˌhand 
: done without mechanical aids or devices
freehand drawing
freehand
adverb
free hand
2 of 2 noun
: freedom to act or decide
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share