an authorization to sell a company's goods or services in a particular place
"After years of saving, she finally secured the franchise to operate her own coffee shop downtown."
a business established or operated under an authorization to sell or distribute a company's goods or services in a particular area
"After signing the contract, Sarah opened her own franchise and started selling coffee from the global brand in her neighborhood."
a statutory right or privilege granted to a person or group by a government (especially the rights of citizenship and the right to vote)
"The newly elected senator worked tirelessly to secure voting franchise for every eligible citizen in her district."
The right to vote at a public election or referendum; see: suffrage, suffragette.
"After decades of waiting for the return of voting rights to women, she finally exercised her franchise in the historic 1920 presidential election."
In plain English: A franchise is a business that lets someone open their own store using another company's brand and rules.
"She decided to open her own McDonald's franchise in the downtown area."
Usage: In everyday usage, a franchise refers to a license granted by a company allowing an individual to sell its products under its brand name. Do not use this term when discussing the right to vote, which is correctly called suffrage or voting rights.
grant a franchise to
"The city council voted to grant a franchise to the new bus company for operating public transit in downtown."
To confer certain powers on; grant a franchise to; authorize.
"The mayor decided to franchise the city's water supply to the private company after reviewing their safety records."
In plain English: To franchise something means to give someone the right to sell your product or service using your brand name and business model.
"The company plans to franchise its successful coffee shop chain across the country."
Usage: As a verb, to franchise means to officially grant someone the legal right to operate a business under an established brand's name and system. Use this word when describing how a company authorizes independent owners to sell its products using its specific trademarks and methods.
The word franchise comes from the Old French term franchise, which originally meant "freedom." It traveled into English through Middle English as a direct descendant of this concept.