disenfranchise

American  

[dis-en-fran-chahyz] / ˌdɪs ɛnˈfræn tʃaɪz /

verb (used with object)

• disenfranchises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disenfranchised,
  past participle,  past
• disenfranchising
  present participle

1. to deprive (a person) of a right or privilege of citizenship, especially the right to vote.

   This electoral law disenfranchises people in prison and on parole, but allows those on probation to vote.

2. to deprive of the rights or privileges of full participation in society or in any community or organization, especially of the opportunity to influence policy or make one’s voice heard.

   We are intentionally seeking to engage all employees in these discussions so as not to disenfranchise any social minority.

3. to deprive of a commercial or legal franchise.

   There’s been talk of disenfranchising the cricket team for violation of the league’s bylaws.

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disenfranchise British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈfræntʃaɪz /

verb

1. to deprive (a person) of the right to vote or other rights of citizenship

2. to deprive (a place) of the right to send representatives to an elected body

3. to deprive (a business concern, etc) of some privilege or right

4. to deprive (a person, place, etc) of any franchise or right

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• disenfranchisement
  noun
• disenfranchiser
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• disenfranchising
  present
• disenfranchised
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• disenfranchise
  simple
• disenfranchises
  simple
• have disenfranchised
  perfect
• has disenfranchised
  perfect
• am disenfranchising
  progressive
• are disenfranchising
  progressive
• is disenfranchising
  progressive
• have been disenfranchising
  perfect progressive
• has been disenfranchising
  perfect progressive

Past

• disenfranchised
  simple
• had disenfranchised
  perfect
• was disenfranchising
  progressive
• were disenfranchising
  progressive
• had been disenfranchising
  perfect progressive

Future

• will disenfranchise
  simple
• will have disenfranchised
  perfect
• will be disenfranchising
  progressive
• will have been disenfranchising
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of disenfranchise

First recorded in 1620–30; dis- ¹ + enfranchise

Explanation

Enfranchise means to give someone the right to vote. Disenfranchise means to take it away. The U.S. has a shameful history of disenfranchising African-American citizens through bogus laws and outright intimidation. Being disenfranchised can make you feel like you don't belong or that you have no power. When kids feel disenfranchised in school––when they feel like what they're being asked to learn doesn't matter, or that their teachers don't care about them, that whether they try or not they're going to fail––they stop learning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disenfranchise disenfranchises disenfranchised disenfranchising

That’s the way to stick it to people who want to disenfranchise you: to actually vote.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Opposition MPs have criticised the delay, saying it would potentially disenfranchise millions of voters.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

It would disenfranchise vulnerable groups of people, she said — women, people with disabilities, communities of color and the elderly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2025

"I will continue to make sure that the more than 65,000 voters who Griffin seeks to disenfranchise have their voices heard. No matter how long it takes, I will not stop doing what is right."

From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2025

Meanwhile cases of flagrant bribery at East Retford and Penryn—two notoriously corrupt boroughs—came before the House, and it was proposed to disenfranchise the former and to give in its place two members to Birmingham.

From Lord John Russell by Stuart J. (Stuart Johnson) Reid

Yates, from Crackington Haven, said she wanted the bank to "reconsider their policy" as she believed it "disenfranchises the rural population".

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

Randall Avila, executive director of the Orange County GOP, said the measure disenfranchises Latino GOP voters like himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2025

This disenfranchises those who have paid for their crime.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2023

Hobbs said he opposed the practice because “it disenfranchises communities and leaves us vulnerable to misinformation,” but that he would honor voters’ decision if they were to choose ranked choice voting in the future.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2022

No other country in the world disenfranchises people who are released from prison in a manner even remotely resembling the United States.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

According to Jay, infant loss results in a form of disenfranchised grief.

From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026

Reform dubbed the matter "completely unacceptable" adding that "people who have postal votes should not be disenfranchised".

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

Hungary said the law disenfranchised tens of thousands of ethnic Hungarians, who live mostly in Ukraine's westernmost region of Transcarpathia -- part of the former Kingdom of Hungary until the end of World War I.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

“Hip-hop has become the global language of resistance — the musical form through which the dispossessed and disenfranchised articulate grievance and assert dignity,” Singh said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

What he did, on a small scale, showed me how important it is to empower the dispossessed and the disenfranchised in the wake of oppression.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

States already ensure the vote is safe without disenfranchising vulnerable groups.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025

Some voters confronted school staff and accused them of disenfranchising voters.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2024

It was not disenfranchising them, which is generous.

From Slate ● Feb. 5, 2024

Of the nearly 29,000 Mississippians convicted of disenfranchising offenses who had completed their sentences from 1994 to 2017, 58% were Black, he said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 28, 2023

Perhaps he might be able to undertake this Great Widgerly disenfranchising case.

From Philistia by Grant Allen