enfranchise

American  

[en-fran-chahyz] / ɛnˈfræn tʃaɪz /

verb (used with object)

enfranchised, enfranchising

1. to admit to citizenship, especially to the right of voting.

   By about 1860, most white men without property had been enfranchised.

2. to give (a person or group) the rights or privileges of full participation in society or in any community or organization, especially the opportunity to influence policy or make their voice heard.

   The online forum enfranchises nurses, giving them a sense of belonging both to the profession and to the organization they work for.

3. to set free; liberate, as from slavery or from some disabling constraint.

   Some ideologies enfranchise innovative creativity, while others suppress it.

4. to endow (a city, constituency, etc.) with municipal or parliamentary rights.

5. to grant a franchise to.

   The Chicago White Sox were enfranchised in Iowa in 1894, when the team was known as the Sioux City Cornhuskers.

6. British. to give the tenant of (a leasehold) the right to purchase freehold of the property or to extend the lease, often up to the end of life.

---

enfranchise British  

/ ɪnˈfræntʃaɪz /

verb

1. to grant the power of voting to, esp as a right of citizenship

2. to liberate, as from servitude

3. (in England) to invest (a town, city, etc) with the right to be represented in Parliament

4. English law to convert (leasehold) to freehold

---

Other Word Forms

• enfranchisement noun
• enfranchiser noun
• unenfranchised adjective

Etymology

Origin of enfranchise

First recorded in 1505–15; from Middle French, Old French enfranchiss- (long stem of enfranchir “to free”), equivalent to en- en- ¹ + franch- “free” ( frank ¹ ) + iss- -ish ²

Example Sentences

Pressure began building to enfranchise women voters in the early 20th century, notably in the southeastern state of Yucatan, said Lorenzo Meyer, a historian at the Colegio de Mexico.

From Reuters • Sep. 9, 2023

Historically, the practice has been used to enfranchise voters who lack access to polls or drop boxes.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2022

He said his work is part of a mission to enfranchise and change the narrative of incarcerated people.

From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2021

They cited continuing battles to enfranchise voters across the country who have long been marginalized.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2018

“Not because it enfranchises black men, but because it does not enfranchise all women, black and white.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling