franchise

fran·chise | \ ˈfran-ˌchīz

plural franchises

Definition of franchise

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(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

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

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

2a : 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.

3 : a series of related works (such as novels or films) each of which includes the same characters or different characters that are understood to exist and interact in the same fictional universe with characters from the other works The main reason we all keep going back to the "Mission: Impossible" franchise is the stunts, of course. Watching Ethan Hunt as he scales mountains, jumps onto planes and dangles from skyscrapers fills us with eye-rolling delight.— Randy Myers Rowling's seven Harry Potter novels sold more than 500 million copies. Its respective film franchise drummed up over $7 billion at the box office.— Dory Jackson

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

franchise

verb

franchised; franchising

Definition of franchise (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to grant a franchise to

2 archaic : free

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about franchise

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Examples of franchise in a Sentence

Noun 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 on the Web: Noun At the bottom of the division, the Cincinnati Bengals matched their worst single-season record in franchise history. — Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, "All-AFC North Team: Running backs," 8 Jan. 2020 As his teammates skated over to congratulate him after the win, there was an embrace from Lundqvist, the eloquent Swede and perennial fan favorite who holds virtually every goaltending record in franchise history. — Allan Kreda, New York Times, "A Great Goaltending Hope Arrives With a Win," 8 Jan. 2020 The Timberwolves recorded a season-high 65 rebounds against the Kings, tied for the second-most rebounds in franchise history and the most since 2010. ... — oregonlive, "Portland Trail Blazers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Game preview, TV channel, how to watch live stream online," 8 Jan. 2020 Rivera was the winningest coach in franchise history and was twice named AP NFL Coach of the Year. — BostonGlobe.com, "Panthers opt for Baylor’s Matt Rhule as head coach over Josh McDaniels," 7 Jan. 2020 Rivera was the winningest coach in franchise history and was twice named AP NFL coach of the year. — Los Angeles Times, "NFL news: Panthers to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule; Giants near deal with Joe Judge," 7 Jan. 2020 The 49ers’ lone playoff loss to the Vikings, after the 1987 season, was one of the most devastating defeats in franchise history. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "49ers will host sixth-seed Minnesota after Vikings’ wild-card OT stunner," 5 Jan. 2020 The Lions went 12-4 in 1991 and proved incredibly resilient on their way to the most wins in franchise history. — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions haven't won a playoff game since Jan. 5, 1992: A look back at that day," 5 Jan. 2020 The 57-year-old of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent is the first minority to be named full-time coach in Washington franchise history. — Stephen Whyno, Houston Chronicle, "Washington hires Ron Rivera as coach," 1 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Sales last year across its 2,801 stores, 98% of which are franchised, were $2.15 billion, according to Technomic. — Alexia Elejalde-ruiz, chicagotribune.com, "Jimmy John’s to be sold to the owner of Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, as competition for lunch dollars heats up," 25 Sep. 2019 If the two parties fail to reach an agreement before free agency opens in March, the Bengals are committed to franchise tagging the seven-time Pro Bowler to keep him off the open market, a high-level source told The Enquirer. — Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals: Focus now turns to A.J. Green's contract situation," 17 Dec. 2019 The company stated franchising in 1993 and grew quickly. — Alexia Elejalde-ruiz, chicagotribune.com, "Jimmy John’s to be sold to the owner of Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, as competition for lunch dollars heats up," 25 Sep. 2019 The Real Housewives franchise kicked off in March 2006 with The Real Housewives of Orange County. — Jodi Guglielmi, PEOPLE.com, "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City! Bravo Announces Newest Housewives Franchise at BravoCon," 16 Nov. 2019 The teams will compete for what will be either franchise’s first WNBA title on Thursday at 8 p.m. at D.C.'s Entertainment and Sports Arena. — Alexa Philippou, courant.com, "Connecticut Sun force a Game 5 after thrilling 90-86 win over Washington," 9 Oct. 2019 The most likely scenario, according to an industry source, would have the Bees franchise shifting to the Canadian-American, or CanAm League, which operates with lower expenses and plays far fewer games. — Dom Amore, courant.com, "Bees baseball team staying in New Britain, but not likely in the Atlantic League," 4 Oct. 2019 Previous rank: 3 Points in poll: 327 Highest-place vote: 3 (9 voters) Lowest-place vote: 5 (1 voter) Last week’s result: Beat New Orleans, 27-9 This week: at Cleveland NFL 100 fun fact for the day: The Rams franchise began in Cleveland in 1937. — The Mmqb Staff, SI.com, "NFL Power Rankings Poll Week 3: Cowboys, Niners and Bills (!) on the Rise," 17 Sep. 2019 Morlock is a veteran restaurant executive with more than 30 years experience in corporate turnarounds, operations and franchising for chains such as Boston Market, Einstein Bagel and Potbelly Sandwich Works. — Paul Takahashi, Houston Chronicle, "Months after proxy fight, Luby's names new chairman, directors to board," 21 Aug. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

12 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Franchise.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/franchise. Accessed 17 January 2020.

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More Definitions for franchise

franchise

noun

English Language Learners Definition of franchise

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

US, sports : a team that is a member of a professional sports league

franchise

verb

English Language Learners Definition of franchise (Entry 2 of 2)

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

See the full definition for franchise in the English Language Learners Dictionary

franchise

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

4a : 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

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