franchise

noun

fran·chise | \ˈfran-ˌchīz

Definition of franchise

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2a : 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

3a : 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.

franchise

verb

franchised; franchising

Definition of franchise (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 archaic : free

2 : to grant a franchise to

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about franchise

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Synonyms & Antonyms for franchise

Synonyms: Noun

ballot, enfranchisement, suffrage, vote

Antonyms: Noun

disenfranchisement

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

For Smith, who has played royalty and time-traveling doctors, and is set to join the Star Wars franchise in 2019, being a part of the ads was an honor. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Naomi Campbell and Matt Smith Toast Burberry’s Holiday Campaign in New York," 20 Nov. 2018 Luckily, Kim has experience with major franchises—and their intense fanbases. — Lilli Millhiser, Glamour, "Everyone Is Going to Be Talking About Fantastic Beasts Actress Claudia Kim," 14 Nov. 2018 The 11th installment of the Halloween franchise sees the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, which is awesome. — Alyssa Fiorentino, House Beautiful, "The Custom Basement In 'Halloween' Is The Best Part Of This Sequel," 23 Oct. 2018 The last chapter of the original High School Musical trilogy ended 10 years ago this October, but now Disney Channel is reviving the hit franchise with a brand new TV series. — Stacey Grant, Seventeen, "Meet the New Characters on the "High School Musical" TV Series," 6 Sep. 2018 The show will pull top acts from global versions of the AGT franchise too. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Everything to Know About Simon Cowell's 'America's Got Talent: The Champions' Spinoff," 27 July 2018 Hardcore old-school fans want nothing more than for Pokémon to evolve as a franchise. — Patricia Hernandez, The Verge, "The internet’s horrified with Detective Pikachu," 12 Nov. 2018 All that said, what Marshall and Magee have not done is go down the well-trod path of the dark, dystopian franchise reboot; this is not Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Nanny. — Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, "How Do You Reinvent Mary Poppins for 2018? Emily Blunt Has a Few Ideas," 8 Nov. 2018 And until major Nintendo franchises like Pokemon and Metroid come to the Switch, the 3DS represents the best way to enjoy them in relatively modern forms. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Nintendo recommits to “keep the business going” for 3DS," 31 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Binge-watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians or your favorite Real Housewives franchise may sound like fun, but there could be a downside. — Erica Sweeney, Teen Vogue, "Wealth on TV Could Change Attitudes Toward Low-Income People, Study Finds," 6 Aug. 2018 The world of Prospect is grounded and subdued, more of an indie drama that just happens to take place in space than the kind of operatic adventure common to franchise science fiction. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "Prospect is a stylish science fiction movie that puts world building first," 31 Oct. 2018 With the Honda deal, Cruise is seeking to take this basic framework and franchise it. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "GM’s self-driving deal with Honda is a wakeup call for Waymo," 4 Oct. 2018 The partners have plans to franchise the concept and open up similar centers across the country. — Sumathi Reddy, WSJ, "To Help Alzheimer’s Patients, a Care Center Re-Creates the 1950s," 18 Sep. 2018 Founded in Baton Rouge in 2003 by Landry and Jack Warner, Walk-On's didn't even start franchising until about four years ago. — Lawrence Specker, AL.com, "Walk-On's preps 1st Alabama restaurant; more on way," 25 Apr. 2018 The company started franchising in 2014 and has 40 locations in development around the country, including in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Texas and Utah. — Kathleen Purvis, charlotteobserver, "Vegan cinnamon roll bakery from Shark Tank opens soon in Indian Trail | Charlotte Observer," 2 Feb. 2018 In most offseasons, a man with his track record — franchise home run record, playoff success, world champion, good defender, terrific teammate — could've signed for $60 million. — Sam Mellinger, kansascity, "A story about Mike Moustakas and baseball and money | The Kansas City Star," 8 Mar. 2018 Any changes of such magnitude also would require the cooperation of IHOP’s owner-operators; the chain is entirely franchised. — Greg Trotter, chicagotribune.com, "IHOP eyes urban expansion in Chicago, other major cities," 13 June 2018

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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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

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