disenfranchise
verb
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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.
Examples of disenfranchise in a Sentence
Vanessa Martínez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Elections experts say the bill would disenfranchise voters without ready access to those documents and married women whose documents reflect their names given at birth.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Large portions of that order have been blocked by courts following lawsuits brought by voting rights groups and Democratic attorneys general, who argued the president exceeded his constitutional authority and risked disenfranchising voters.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
In La Plata County, voting had to be pushed to Monday night — effectively disenfranchising anyone who couldn’t come back because of work obligations, child care issues or other obligations.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disenfranchise
Cite this Entry
“Disenfranchise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disenfranchise. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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disenfranchise
verb
Legal Definition
disenfranchise
transitive verb
