franchise

/ˈfræntʃaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfræntʃaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfran-ˌchīz/ (ame, mw) · /ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/ (ame, ipa)

franchise — 名詞

  • franchisesingular
  • franchisesplural

1. a legal arrangement in which a large company (the franchisor) allows someone to

1.名詞B1
釋義

加盟權

品牌授權他人經營的權利

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.

例句

Obi bought a fried-chicken franchise in Nairobi and opened his first restaurant last year.

Obi 在奈洛比買下一個炸雞加盟權，去年開了第一家餐廳。

collocation: buy a franchise

The coffee chain awarded its first franchise to James after he completed their training programme.

這家咖啡連鎖店在 James 完成培訓課程後，將第一個加盟權授予了他。

passive: award a franchise to [person]

同義詞
  • 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

❌I bought a franchise to a coffee shop.
✅I bought a coffee-shop franchise.
💡'franchise' is the right itself, not the location; say what type of franchise it is.
❌The company franchised me their burger recipe.
✅The company sold me a franchise to operate one of their burger restaurants.
💡'franchise' as a noun means the whole business right, not just one part of the business.

2. the legal right of a citizen to vote in public elections, especially national on

2.名詞B1
釋義

選舉權

公民投票選舉的權利

the legal right of a citizen to vote in public elections, especially national ones.

例句

Women in Switzerland gained the franchise at the national level in 1971.

瑞士的女性於 1971 年才在全國層級獲得選舉權。

collocation: gain the franchise

Sirin was proud to vote for the first time after the franchise was extended to naturalised citizens.

選舉權擴大至歸化公民之後，Sirin 驕傲地第一次投下了選票。

passive: the franchise was extended to [group]

同義詞
  • 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'

反義詞

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

❌He went to the polling station to exercise his franchise.' (not wrong, but very formal and uncommon in everyday speech)
✅He went to vote.
💡In everyday conversation, native speakers use 'vote' or 'voting rights', not 'franchise'.

3. a collection of films, television shows, books, or video games that share the sa

3.名詞B2
釋義

系列作品

共享角色或世界觀的多部影視或文學作品

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.

例句

The Harry Potter franchise includes eight movies, theme parks, and a stage play.

《哈利波特》系列作品包括八部電影、主題樂園和一齣舞臺劇。

pattern: '[title] franchise'

Ravindra has watched every film in the Marvel franchise since he was a child.

Ravindra 從小的時候就看了漫威系列作品裡的每一部電影。

同義詞
  • series

    broader term; does not carry the commercial/brand implications of 'franchise'

  • saga

    suggests a long, epic storyline, often in fantasy or historical settings

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

❌Avatar is a film franchise with only one movie.
✅A franchise usually has at least two or three instalments.
💡One film alone is not a franchise; the term implies multiple entries.

4. a professional sports team that belongs to a league and competes against other t

4.名詞B2
釋義

職業球隊

聯賽中作為會員的職業運動隊伍

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.

例句

The Boston Celtics are one of the oldest franchises in the National Basketball Association.

波士頓塞爾提克是美國國家籃球協會歷史最悠久的職業球隊之一。

pattern: '[city] franchise'

Jude's family has supported the local baseball franchise for three generations.

Jude 一家人三代以來都是當地棒球隊的忠實支持者。

同義詞
  • club

    the standard term in British and European sports; less commercial and business-focused than 'franchise'

  • team

    general term; does not carry the league-membership or business connotations

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

❌Manchester United is a football franchise.
✅Manchester United is a football club.
💡In British English, sports teams are called 'clubs', not 'franchises'.

5. a particular shop, restaurant, or service outlet that is run by an independent o

5.名詞B1
釋義

加盟店

獲得品牌授權經營的商店或餐廳

a particular shop, restaurant, or service outlet that is run by an independent owner under a franchise agreement with a larger company.

例句

The fried-chicken franchise on Main Street has been run by the same family for fifteen years.

Main Street 上的那家炸雞加盟店已經由同一個家族經營了十五年。

pattern: '[product] franchise'

Matthew opened his sandwich franchise near the train station and hired ten local staff.

Matthew 在火車站附近開了三明治加盟店，雇用了十名本地員工。

同義詞
  • outlet

    a neutral term for any retail location, not necessarily a franchise

  • branch

    usually implies the company owns and runs it directly, not through a franchisee

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

❌I own a McDonald's franchise' (ambiguous — could mean the right or the store).
✅I own a McDonald's franchise on Fifth Street.
💡Adding a location makes it clear you mean the physical shop.

franchise — 動詞