enfranchise

verb

en·​fran·​chise in-ˈfran-ˌchīz How to pronounce enfranchise (audio)
en-
enfranchised; enfranchising

transitive verb

1
: to set free (as from slavery)
2
: to endow with a franchise: such as
a
: to admit to the privileges of a citizen and especially to the right of suffrage
b
: to admit (a municipality) to political privileges or rights
enfranchisement noun

Examples of enfranchise in a Sentence

in a way, modern labor-saving appliances enfranchised people, giving them much more leisure time
Recent Examples on the Web The Fifteenth Amendment enfranchised Black men, implicitly creating a bloc of voters to counterbalance the power of former Confederates in the South. Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024 In the 1960s, another wave of reform enfranchised Black Americans and swept away legally enforced racial segregation. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023 But the United States has trended toward eventually enfranchising felons who have completed their sentences. Shera Avi-Yonah, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Aug. 2023 He is credited with enfranchising the rural poor, but offended traditional elites and was eventually ousted in a coup in 2006. Time, 26 July 2023 In Multnomah County, voters will weigh in on seven potential changes to the county charter, including measures to adopt ranked choice voting, enfranchise noncitizens to the extent legally possible and increase jail inspections. oregonlive, 6 Nov. 2022 The Multnomah County Charter Review Committee prioritized getting the measure on the ballot to enfranchise undocumented county residents 18 and over. oregonlive, 20 Oct. 2022 The measure to enfranchise 16-year-olds failed, but voters approved amending the village charter to allow non-citizens to vote by a margin of 727 to 571, according to the Dayton Daily News. Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 17 May 2022 CNN International reported last week on efforts to enfranchise noncitizens in Germany, where about 14% of the population cannot vote in federal elections like the one recently conducted there. Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 12 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enfranchise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enfranchiss-, stem of enfranchir, from en- + franc free — more at frank

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of enfranchise was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near enfranchise

Cite this Entry

“Enfranchise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enfranchise. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

enfranchise

verb
en·​fran·​chise in-ˈfran-ˌchīz How to pronounce enfranchise (audio)
enfranchised; enfranchising
1
: to set free (as from slavery)
2
: to give full privileges of citizenship to
especially : to give the right to vote
enfranchisement noun

Legal Definition

enfranchise

transitive verb
en·​fran·​chise in-ˈfran-ˌchīz How to pronounce enfranchise (audio)
enfranchised; enfranchising
: to grant franchise to
especially : to admit to the privileges of a citizen and especially to voting rights
the Twenty-sixth Amendment enfranchised all citizens over 18 years of age
compare emancipate

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