Dictionary.com

enfranchise

[ en-fran-chahyz ]
/ ɛnˈfræn tʃaɪz /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: enfranchise / enfranchisement on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), en·fran·chised, en·fran·chis·ing.
to grant a franchise to; admit to citizenship, especially to the right of voting.
to endow (a city, constituency, etc.) with municipal or parliamentary rights.
to set free; liberate, as from slavery.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Also franchise.

Origin of enfranchise

1505–15; <Middle French, Old French enfranchiss- (long stem of enfranchir to free), equivalent to en-en-1 + franch- free (see frank1) + iss--ish2

OTHER WORDS FROM enfranchise

en·fran·chise·ment [en-fran-chahyz-muhnt, -chiz-], /ɛnˈfræn tʃaɪz mənt, -tʃɪz-/, nounen·fran·chis·er, nounun·en·fran·chised, adjective

Words nearby enfranchise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enfranchise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enfranchise

enfranchise
/ (ɪnˈfræntʃaɪz) /

verb (tr)
to grant the power of voting to, esp as a right of citizenship
to liberate, as from servitude
(in England) to invest (a town, city, etc) with the right to be represented in Parliament
English law to convert (leasehold) to freehold

Derived forms of enfranchise

enfranchisement, nounenfranchiser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK