freedom of speech
- noun
- /ˈfriːdəm əv spiːch/
- Formal
- The basic principle is that the freedom of speech shall be unabridged.
- right to freedom of speech
- protect freedom of speech
- freedom of speech and expression
I believe in freedom of speech, but not for Donald Trump.
- I believe in freedom of speech, but not for Donald Trump.
- And that there was more room for freedom of speech that then people realized.
- And that has really cut the the freedom of speech very, very harshly.
- Congress shall pass no law respecting freedom of speech of the press.
- You know, it's just the freedom of speech that that is a basic freedom.
- Freedom of speech creates ideas, Freedom of speech provokes thought.
- It is based in Iceland, so freedom of speech is of the utmost importance.
- OK, we let Nazis March in Skokie because freedom of speech is sacred.
- And so you said that included in the freedom of speech is to say things that are wrong.
- COP was held in Egypt, another country known to restrict freedom of speech and jail activists.
- And again, this is not covered by freedom of speech because bots don't have freedom of speech.
- Hope that we maintain, I mean, guard our freedom of speech and do not give in to terror.
- You are part of the group that's destroying democracy, destroying freedom of speech, destroying these people's lives.
- And that was a victory for freedom of speech.
Examples
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There have always been boundaries on freedom of speech and of the press.
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But is there really freedom of speech on social media?
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And within a world like that, you can have freedom of speech, right?
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There was no freedom of speech or right to trial.
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So I feel like freedom of speech is gone.
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I have freedom of speech.
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To see that this is so, consider the right to freedom of speech.
Academic text (1990) -
I love living in a country where we have freedom of speech and expression.
Blog text (1) -
Instead, Washington should adopt a more general approach, promoting freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly everywhere.
Academic text (2011) -
The Constitution guarantees your freedom of speech, allowing you to express your opinions openly.
Synonyms
The right to say what you think in public without the government stopping you
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'freedom' (ability to act or speak freely) combined with 'speech' (the act of speaking), with 'of' marking the domain, yields the right to express opinions without censorship. This is a common, cross-linguistically transparent legal/political concept that a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand.
Etymology
Freedom of speech comes from a simple image: someone who is not gagged and can speak in public, so the parts freedom and speech show the literal idea of being allowed to speak. That's why it means 'the right to say what you think without being punished by the government'.