franchise

Meanings

Plural: franchises

Noun

• an authorization to sell a company's goods or services in a particular place
• a business established or operated under an authorization to sell or distribute a company's goods or services in a particular area
• a statutory right or privilege granted to a person or group by a government (especially the rights of citizenship and the right to vote)
• The right to vote at a public election or referendum; see: suffrage.
• A right or privilege officially granted to a person, a group of people, or a company by a government.
• An acknowledgment of a corporation's existence and ownership.
• The authorization granted by a company to sell or distribute its goods or services in a certain area.
• A business operating under such authorization, a franchisee.
• A legal exemption from jurisdiction.
• The membership of a corporation or state; citizenship.
• The district or jurisdiction to which a particular privilege extends; the limits of an immunity; hence, an asylum or sanctuary.
• The collection of organizations in the history of a sports team; the tradition of a sports team as an entity, extending beyond the contemporary organization.
• The positive influence on the buying behavior of customers exerted by the reputation of a company or a brand.
• The loose collection of fictional works pertaining to a particular fictional universe, including literary, film, or television series from various sources, generally when all authorized by a copyright holder or similar authority.
• Exemption from constraint or oppression; freedom; liberty.
• Magnanimity; generosity; liberality; frankness; nobility.

Verb

• grant a franchise to
• To confer certain powers on; grant a franchise to; authorize.
• To set free; invest with a franchise or privilege; enfranchise.
• To give to others the rights to sell or distribute (goods or services).

Synonyms

concession, dealership, enfranchisement, franchisee