Definition of disenfranchise
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Examples of disenfranchise in a Sentence
They disenfranchised poor people by making property ownership a requirement for registering to vote.
Recent Examples of disenfranchise from the Web
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Working-class New Yorkers, who felt politically disenfranchised by the wealthy on one side and immigrants on the other, powered nativist groups to victory in the 1844 city elections.
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Some federal courts have even ruled that disenfranchising minorities is the goal of such laws.
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Critics claim Trump's new commission is an attempt to lay the groundwork for restricting voting rights and disenfranchising minority voters.
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Virginia is one of a handful of states that permanently disenfranchises felons.
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And many of whom are men who are disenfranchised from their own gender or their own identity.
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Cotton, another Republican from the class of 2014, more overtly mocked the whole proceeding in a commentary that seemed meant to attract GOP voters who see the current investigations as a thin attempt to disenfranchise Trump.
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Groups challenging the practice said Ohio was unfairly disenfranchising eligible Ohio voters.
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Hundreds of thousands of voters of color were disenfranchised.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disenfranchise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What Does It Mean to Disenfranchise Someone?
Disenfranchise first appeared in English in the 17th century, preceded for a period of some 200 years by the now uncommon word disfranchise. Though both words are, rather obviously, related to franchise, they have nothing to do with that word’s current sense “a team that is a member of a professional sports league." The original meaning of franchise was “freedom from servitude or restraint.” Although disenfranchise does broadly signify depriving someone of any of a number of legal rights, it is most often used today of withholding the right to vote, or of the diminished social or political status of a marginalized group.
First Known Use of disenfranchise
1664
Other Legal Terms
DISENFRANCHISE Defined for English Language Learners
disenfranchise
playDefinition of disenfranchise for English Language Learners
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: to prevent (a person or group of people) from having the right to vote
DISENFRANCHISE Defined for Kids
disenfranchise
playDefinition of disenfranchise for Students
disenfranchised
;disenfranchising
: to deprive of the right to vote
disenfranchisement
\-ˈfran-ˌchīz-mənt\ nounLaw Dictionary
disenfranchise
playLegal Definition of disenfranchise
disenfranchised
disenfranchising
disenfranchisement
nounSeen and Heard
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