1 freehand | Definition of freehand

freehand

adjective
free·​hand | \ ˈfrÄ“-ËŒhand How to pronounce freehand (audio) \

Definition of freehand

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: done without mechanical aids or devices freehand drawing

free hand

noun
\ ˈfrē-ˈhand How to pronounce free hand (audio) \

Definition of free hand (Entry 2 of 2)

: freedom of action or decision

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Other Words from freehand

Adjective

freehand adverb

Synonyms for freehand

Synonyms: Noun

authorization, freedom, latitude, license (or licence), run

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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: 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, "How the Artists and Activists from Marc Jacobs' Pride 2018 Campaign Use Fashion to Show Express Identity," 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, "Art and Museums in NYC This Week," 16 Mar. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Williams actually captures the pass by using the bottom of his facemask, then completely loses the ball before retaining possession with his only free hand, the right. Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "Auburn's Stunning Win Over Oregon Punctuates Weird Weekend of College Football," 1 Sep. 2019 Further Reading Much more than Mario Kart: The history of kart racers The power of Nintendo's new console gave Mario Kart 64's programmers a much freer hand to run riot than had been possible with the SNES' Super Mario Kart. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "The ten best console racing games of all time," 22 Aug. 2019 The president’s attitude has essentially given North Korea a free hand in developing and testing its short-range weapons, analysts said. Choe Sang-hun, BostonGlobe.com, "North Korea says it tested new type of missile, further enhancing its arsenal," 11 Aug. 2019 Drivers need a free hand for the 8-inch touchscreen, of course. Staff And News Service Reports, The Mercury News, "Photos: General Motors unveils its new Corvette Stingray in Tustin," 20 July 2019 Those rules were replaced in August by new classified guidance intended to give the military a freer hand with cyberattacks, but details of the new policy have remained largely shrouded in secrecy. Dustin Volz, WSJ, "U.S. Launched Cyberattacks on Iran," 23 June 2019 Place the free hand on top of the other, interlocking your fingers. Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN, "Women are less likely than men to receive CPR in public. A new product is designed to change that," 5 June 2019 Rejecting it, Republicans took full advantage of the free hand Democrats had foolishly left them. Fred Barnes, WSJ, "The Downside of Anti-Trump Rage," 22 Jan. 2019 Although Zaidi mostly has a free hand to shape the team, Baer will continue to have a voice in decisions involving on-field personnel at a critical juncture. Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Larry Baer is ‘truly sorry’ and coming back to the Giants. What’s waiting for him?," 29 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'freehand.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of freehand

Adjective

1841, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1890, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for freehand

freehand

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of freehand

: done without special tools or instruments
free·​hand | \ ˈfrÄ“-ËŒhand How to pronounce freehand (audio) \

Kids Definition of freehand

: done without mechanical aids a freehand drawing

More from Merriam-Webster on freehand

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with freehand

Spanish Central: Translation of freehand