Francophone

American

[frang-kuh-fohn] / ˈfræŋ kəˌfoʊn /

adjective

Also Francophonic speaking French, especially as a member of a French-speaking population.

noun

a person who speaks French, especially a native speaker.

Francophone British

/ ˈfræŋkəʊˌfəʊn /

noun

a person who speaks French, esp a native speaker

"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

adjective

speaking French as a native language
using French as a lingua franca

"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

Etymology

Origin of Francophone

First recorded in 1895–1900; Franco- + -phone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Francophone

Quebec is the only Canadian province that is primarily Francophone.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

Others paying tribute included French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, who wrote: "Francophone cinema has lost, too soon, a talented actress who still had so much to offer."

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025

The Quebec Nordiques hockey team, which rebranded and moved to Denver almost 20 years ago, was a nationalist symbol and a pride of the Francophone city.

From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2024

What is indisputable is their popularity: They are served at chains with hundreds of locations across the Francophone world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023

The Francophone Foundation has splurged on accommodations for the prize winners.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023