franchise

play

noun fran·chise \ ˈfran-ˌchīz \

Definition of franchise

1 :freedom or immunity from some burden or restriction vested in a person or group

2 a :a special privilege granted to an individual or group; especially :the right to be and exercise the powers of a corporation

b :a constitutional or statutory right or privilege; especially :the right to vote

c (1) :the right or license granted to an individual or group to market a company's goods or services in a particular territory; also :a business granted such a right or license

just opened a new fast-food franchise down the street

(2) :the territory involved in such a right

3 a :the right of membership in a professional sports league

b :a team and its operating organization having such membership

He's the best player in the history of the franchise.

See franchise defined for English-language learners

See franchise defined for kids

Examples of franchise in a Sentence

She was granted an exclusive franchise in the city's west end.
They just opened a new fast-food franchise down the street.
The U.S. did not extend the franchise to women until the early 20th century.
He's the best player in the history of the franchise.

Recent Examples of franchise from the Web

Yet, finding that stability is a tenuous process that can eat up years, even decades of a franchise’s time.

— chris burke, SI.com, "Matthew Stafford's Massive Contract the Latest in a Line of Enormous QB Deals," 29 Aug. 2017
The offense set a franchise record by extending its scoreless drought to 34 innings, eclipsing the previous mark of 32, set in 2004, and suffering their third straight shutout at Progressive Field.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Punchless Royals fail to score again as division-rival Indians complete sweep," 27 Aug. 2017
Humphrey, the franchise’s first-round selection in April, had not been on the field since injuring his hamstring in a 31-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 17.

— edward lee, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman works out Saturday for first time in nearly four weeks," 27 Aug. 2017
During its 20th anniversary year, Microsoft is breathing life into one of its most acclaimed gaming franchises—there's going to be a new Age of Empires.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Get Ready for Farming and War in 'Age of Empires IV'," 22 Aug. 2017
There are three games in the modern iteration of the franchise—XCOM:

— joshua rivera, GQ, "The Best Video Game Genre for the Grown-Ass Man," 17 Aug. 2017
The country hadn’t seen anything like it since the end of Reconstruction, when every southern state placed severe limits on the franchise.

— mark armstrong, Longreads, "Dear Chief Justice John Roberts: Our Country Has Not Changed," 12 Aug. 2017
In something out of a scene from ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ [yes, an actual movie and book, or really a franchise], a South Florida family awoke to frozen Italian sausage on their roof.

— ruth walker, The Christian Science Monitor, "Awakening to all kinds of possibilities," 10 Aug. 2017
Other host franchises limit RBI appearances to the tournament championship games.

— mark schmetzer, Cincinnati.com, "Mo’ne Davis makes 'major league debut' at GABP," 1 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of franchise

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from franchir to free, from franc free — more at frank

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

franchise Synonyms

Synonyms

ballot, enfranchisement, vote, suffrage

Antonyms

disenfranchisement

Related Words

say, say-so, voice

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

franchise

verb

Definition of franchise

franchised; franchising

transitive verb

1 archaic :free

2 :to grant a franchise to

See franchise defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of franchise from the Web

Of course, any casual observer of American politics would agree that there was enough mayhem coming out of the West Wing to fill several seasons of a Real Housewives franchise.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "The Tangled Web of Ivanka, Jared, the Mooch, and Reince," 31 July 2017
In Hilton franchised hotels that are managed by other companies, the local manager will decide whether to adopt the 48-hour policy.

— hugo martin, latimes.com, "Cancelling a hotel reservation is getting tougher at Hilton and Marriott," 24 July 2017
The first opened in 2004 in Tulsa, and in 2008 Billy Sims BBQ began franchising.

— blair kerkhoff, kansascity, "No Heisman Trophy but a Heisman sandwich for Billy Sims at his BBQ joint," 30 June 2017
Nekter, based in Orange County, was founded in 2010 and began franchising in 2012.

— hang nguyen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Nekter Juice Bar opens 2 more stores in San Diego County," 28 June 2017
Pearson even got his start in the restaurant business through franchising Fuzzy’s Tacos locations.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Is Argyle becoming a new restaurant destination?," 28 June 2017
His petty sniping, simmering feuds, and a ruthless crusade to franchise the Triangle in New York consistently made things worse.

— nathaniel friedman, GQ, "What Firing Phil Jackson Means for the Knicks," 28 June 2017
So was born the Yellow Cab Company, which Herz soon franchised across America.

— ed wallace special to the star-telegram, star-telegram.com, "Sandor Herz’s mobility company," 23 June 2017
Photos of Fred Hoiberg, the 19th coach in Bulls franchise history.

— david haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls do right thing, realize time to move on and trade Jimmy Butler," 22 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of franchise

see ¹franchise

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

FRANCHISE Defined for English Language Learners

franchise

play

noun

Definition of franchise for English Language Learners

: the right to sell a company's goods or services in a particular area; also : a business that is given such a right
: the right to vote
sports : a team that is a member of a professional sports league

franchise

verb

Definition of franchise for English Language Learners

: to offer the right to sell (your company's goods or services) in a particular area

Law Dictionary

franchise

play

noun fran·chise \ ˈfran-ˌchīz \

legal Definition of franchise

1 :a special right or privilege granted by the government to an individual, group, or business entity: as

a :a right to conduct a business and especially to be and to exercise the powers of a corporation

b :a right granted to a public utility company to provide services and to use public land for that purpose

2 :a constitutional or statutory right; especially :the right to vote —used with the

restricting them in employment, education, the franchise, legal personality, and public accommodation
—W. H. Burns

3 :a right or license that is granted to an individual or group to market a company's goods or services in a particular territory under the company's trademark, trade name, or service mark and that often involves the use of rules and procedures designed by the company and services (as advertising) and facilities provided by the company in return for fees, royalties, or other compensation; also :a business granted such a right or license

ran a fast-food franchise

4 a :an amount of liability (as a percentage or sum) specified in an insurance contract below which an insurer disclaims liability and above which the insurer assumes total liability — compare deductible

b :group insurance covering fewer than the minimum number of participants required by law for such coverage