free speech
noun
: speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
also
: the right to such speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech —
Nat'l Law Jour.
Nat'l Law Jour. Examples of free speech in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of course, Musk is not applying First Amendment free speech principles to his platform.
—Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2025
In one of the most important cases of the social media age, free speech and national security collide at the Supreme Court on Friday in arguments over the fate of TikTok, a wildly popular digital platform that roughly half the people in the United States use for entertainment and information.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2025
Zuckerberg, who recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago and brought the president-elect a pair of the company’s new AR glasses, also slammed lawmakers in Europe and Latin America for overzealous censorship and stifling free speech.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 7 Jan. 2025
Colleges have a third crisis to deal with in 2025: how to handle free speech issues and student protests over global conflicts.
—Mike Deehan, Axios, 3 Jan. 2025
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Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2025
In one of the most important cases of the social media age, free speech and national security collide at the Supreme Court on Friday in arguments over the fate of TikTok, a wildly popular digital platform that roughly half the people in the United States use for entertainment and information.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2025
Zuckerberg, who recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago and brought the president-elect a pair of the company’s new AR glasses, also slammed lawmakers in Europe and Latin America for overzealous censorship and stifling free speech.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 7 Jan. 2025
Colleges have a third crisis to deal with in 2025: how to handle free speech issues and student protests over global conflicts.
—Mike Deehan, Axios, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for free speech
Dictionary Entries Near free speech
Cite this Entry
“Free speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20speech. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
free speech
noun1
: 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. Dershowitz2
: freedom of speech
an unconstitutional restraint on free speech—National Law Journal
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