I. fran ‧ chise 1 /ˈfræntʃaɪz/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: franchir 'to set free' , from franc ; ⇨ ↑ frank 1 ]
1 .
a) [uncountable and countable] permission given by a company to someone who wants to sell its goods or services:
a franchise holder
a franchise agreement
under (a) franchise
The beer is brewed under franchise.
b) [countable] a business, shop etc that is run under franchise
2 . [countable] American English a professional sports team
3 . [uncountable] formal the legal right to vote in your country’s elections
II. franchise 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to give or sell a franchise to someone