free speech
noun
: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
also : the right to such speech
… speakers were allowed to exercise their constitutional right of free speech … —
Harold Ickes
Harold Ickes
Examples of free speech in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists. —Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026 His attorneys and the entertainers who wrote to the Supreme Court argue that such lyrics are protected free speech and have nothing to do with the crime committed. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026 Civil liberties groups, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Aid Society, also called for Mamdani to block the bill from becoming law on free speech grounds. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026 And both of those activities are constitutionally protected under the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech rights. —Beth Gazley, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026 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.
Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026 His attorneys and the entertainers who wrote to the Supreme Court argue that such lyrics are protected free speech and have nothing to do with the crime committed. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026 Civil liberties groups, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Aid Society, also called for Mamdani to block the bill from becoming law on free speech grounds. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026 And both of those activities are constitutionally protected under the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech rights. —Beth Gazley, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for free speech
Cite this Entry
“Free speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/free%20speech. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
free speech
noun
1
: 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. Dershowitz
2
: freedom of speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech—National Law Journal
National Law Journal
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