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
To do this, Congress gave the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) carte blanche to raise revenue for the USF.
—
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
This is nothing less than carte blanche for Putin's genocidal imperialism.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 23 Mar. 2025
Barnes had carte blanche to experiment this year.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
To do this, Congress gave the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) carte blanche to raise revenue for the USF.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
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Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
This is nothing less than carte blanche for Putin's genocidal imperialism.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 23 Mar. 2025
Barnes had carte blanche to experiment this year.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
To do this, Congress gave the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) carte blanche to raise revenue for the USF.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Cite this Entry
“Carte blanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carte%20blanche. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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