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
That is not going to be straightforward, especially now Forest have cut ties with Tom Cartledge, their former chairman, whose architectural firm, Benoy, had previously been given carte blanche to redesign the City Ground.
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Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
Trump interpreted the results of November’s election as a mandate that gave him carte blanche to remake Washington.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
The cartels were given carte blanche access to the United States through the open-border system.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
Such a lineup is unknown territory for the festival, but Blanc was adamant not to deviate from the carte blanche principle for selections.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
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Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
Trump interpreted the results of November’s election as a mandate that gave him carte blanche to remake Washington.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
The cartels were given carte blanche access to the United States through the open-border system.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
Such a lineup is unknown territory for the festival, but Blanc was adamant not to deviate from the carte blanche principle for selections.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carte blanche
Articles Related to carte blanche
Cite this Entry
“Carte blanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carte%20blanche. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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