franchise
/ˈfræntʃaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfræntʃaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfran-ˌchīz/ (ame, mw) · /ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/ (ame, ipa)
franchise — noun
- franchisesingular
- franchisesplural
1. a legal arrangement in which a large company (the franchisor) allows someone to
a legal arrangement in which a large company (the franchisor) allows someone to use its brand name and sell its products or services at a particular place, following the company's business methods.
Obi bought a fried-chicken franchise in Nairobi and opened his first restaurant last year.
collocation: buy a franchise
The coffee chain awarded its first franchise to James after he completed their training programme.
passive: award a franchise to [person]
Before signing, Élise studied each clause of the franchise agreement with her lawyer.
The parent company decided not to renew Kian's franchise when the contract expired.
The company offers franchises to people who want to run their own restaurants under a well-known brand.
- license
broader term; can refer to permission for any activity, not just a branded business model
- concession
usually refers to a small business unit within a larger venue, like a shop inside an airport
- dealership
specifically for selling products like cars or machinery, not services
文法句型
franchise + to-infinitive
franchise to sell/produce something
用法筆記
Commonly used with verbs like buy, sell, award, renew, or hold. The person who buys a franchise is called a franchisee; the company that sells it is the franchisor.
常見錯誤
2. the legal right of a citizen to vote in public elections, especially national on
the legal right of a citizen to vote in public elections, especially national ones.
Women in Switzerland gained the franchise at the national level in 1971.
collocation: gain the franchise
Sirin was proud to vote for the first time after the franchise was extended to naturalised citizens.
passive: the franchise was extended to [group]
The country's new constitution granted the franchise to every adult over the age of eighteen.
After living abroad for twelve years, Hoa lost the franchise in her home country.
When the franchise was finally extended to all adult citizens, millions registered for the first time.
- suffrage
more formal; the most common word in historical and legal writing about voting rights
- voting rights
everyday plural alternative; sounds less formal than 'franchise'
- the vote
informal alternative: 'women won the vote in 1928'
- disenfranchisement
the condition of being deprived of voting rights
文法句型
the franchise
extend the franchise to [group]
grant the franchise
用法筆記
Usually takes the definite article ('the franchise') in this sense. Almost always appears in formal or historical contexts about voting rights. The synonym 'suffrage' is interchangeable but even more formal.
常見錯誤
3. a collection of films, television shows, books, or video games that share the sa
a collection of films, television shows, books, or video games that share the same characters, setting, or brand name and are produced over time as separate instalments.
The Harry Potter franchise includes eight movies, theme parks, and a stage play.
pattern: '[title] franchise'
Ravindra has watched every film in the Marvel franchise since he was a child.
The studio plans to launch a new action franchise based on the best-selling video game.
Yuki prefers original stories to franchise films that follow the same formula each time.
The Lord of the Rings franchise earned more than three billion dollars at the global box office.
文法句型
[title] franchise
[type] franchise
用法筆記
In entertainment contexts, 'franchise' is often used attributively (a franchise film, franchise novel). Unlike the business sense (sense 1), it does NOT imply a licensing arrangement — it simply means a series of related works produced by the same studio or author.
常見錯誤
4. a professional sports team that belongs to a league and competes against other t
a professional sports team that belongs to a league and competes against other teams in that league, operating as a business with the league's approval.
The Boston Celtics are one of the oldest franchises in the National Basketball Association.
pattern: '[city] franchise'
Jude's family has supported the local baseball franchise for three generations.
The football franchise moved to a new city after struggling to sell tickets for several seasons.
Caio dreams of one day owning a professional basketball franchise in his hometown.
The league approved the sale of the franchise to a group of local investors.
文法句型
[sport] franchise
[city] franchise
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively used in North American sports contexts (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL). In other English varieties, the term 'club' is more common.
常見錯誤
5. a particular shop, restaurant, or service outlet that is run by an independent o
a particular shop, restaurant, or service outlet that is run by an independent owner under a franchise agreement with a larger company.
The fried-chicken franchise on Main Street has been run by the same family for fifteen years.
pattern: '[product] franchise'
Matthew opened his sandwich franchise near the train station and hired ten local staff.
Running a franchise often costs less than building a completely new brand from scratch.
The ice-cream franchise struggled during winter when few customers came through the door.
Ziad bought a cleaning franchise because the company provides training and ongoing support.
文法句型
[type] franchise
run a franchise
operate a franchise
用法筆記
This sense refers to the physical outlet itself, not the legal permission (sense 1). If you say 'I work at a pizza franchise', you mean the shop — not the legal right to operate it.
常見錯誤
franchise — verb
- franchisepresent simple I / you / we / they
- franchises3rd person singular
- franchising-ing form
- franchisedpast simple
1. to give a person or group permission to operate a business using your company's
to give a person or group permission to operate a business using your company's brand, products, and systems, usually in exchange for a fee or a share of the profits.
The restaurant group decided to franchise its brand across Southeast Asia.
transitive: franchise [brand]
Obi's company franchises its coffee shops to experienced local business owners.
pattern: franchise [something] to [someone]
The hotel chain has franchised its name to properties in more than thirty countries.
Rather than opening company-owned stores, the brand franchises each location to a local partner.
The parent company has franchised over two hundred stores since launching the programme in 2010.
- license
broader term; can apply to intellectual property, technology, or brand rights, not just a full business model
文法句型
franchise [something]
franchise [something] to [someone]
be franchised
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive: 'The brand is franchised across Europe.' The subject is always the company that owns the brand, not the person buying the right.