<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>a privilege of a public nature conferred on an individual, group, or company by a government: a franchise to operate a bus system</li><li>the right or license granted by a company to an individual or group to market its products or services in a specific territory</li><li>a store, restaurant, or other business operating under such a license</li><li>the territory over which such a license extends</li><li>the right to vote: to guarantee the franchise of every citizen</li><li>a privilege arising from the grant of a sovereign or government, or from prescription, which presupposes a grant</li><li>Sports. the right to own or operate a professional sports team as a member of a league</li><li>a professional sports team</li><li>a player of great talent or popular appeal, considered vitally important to a team's success or future</li><li>a set of creative works and related merchandise that share a fictional world, as films, television shows, books, or games: the Star Wars franchise; the Pokémon franchise</li><li>a legal immunity or exemption from a particular burden, exaction, or the like</li><li>Obsolete. freedom, especially from imprisonment, servitude, or moral restraint</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>to grant (an individual, company, etc.) a franchise: The corporation has just franchised our local dealer</li></ul>