enfranchise
gb/ɪnfɹˈænt͡ʃˌaɪz/ us/ɪnfɹˈænt͡ʃˌaɪz/
C2
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C2
action
1
give voting rights
to give people the legal right to vote
Usage pattern:
enfranchise [someone/a group]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse enfranchise with franchise. Franchise usually means to give a business permission to sell a company’s products or services.
Synonyms
give the vote to (clearer and more common in everyday language)
|
grant suffrage to (very formal and specifically about voting rights)
|
empower (broader; may mean giving influence or authority, not necessarily voting rights)
Antonyms
disenfranchise (to take away or deny the right to vote)
|
exclude (to keep someone out of participation more generally)
Collocations
enfranchise voters
|enfranchise women
|enfranchise citizens
|newly enfranchised voters
|the enfranchised population
|enfranchised groups
|enfranchise the electorate
|universal suffrage enfranchised
Themes
politics
|law
|elections
|civil_rights
Examples
- The reform enfranchised millions of citizens who had previously been excluded from elections.
- Women were enfranchised at different times in different countries.
- The new law would enfranchise residents who have lived in the territory for more than five years.
Learner examples
- The law enfranchised many new voters.
- The country enfranchised women in the early twentieth century.
Verb
formal
C2
action
2
give rights or status
to give people full rights or make them able to take part equally
Usage pattern:
enfranchise [someone/a group] within [a system/organization]
Common mistake:
This broader use is formal and less common than the voting-rights meaning. In everyday English, empower, include, or give rights to is often more natural.
Synonyms
empower (more common and broader, often about ability or confidence rather than legal rights)
|
include (simpler and more general; does not necessarily imply formal rights)
|
give rights to (plain-language equivalent)
Antonyms
disenfranchise (to deny rights, power, or participation)
|
marginalize (to push a group to the edge of society or decision-making)
Collocations
enfranchise marginalized communities
|enfranchise excluded groups
|politically enfranchised
|socially enfranchised
|economically enfranchised
|fully enfranchised members
|enfranchised citizens
Themes
civil_rights
|society
|organizations
|inclusion
Examples
- The movement aimed to enfranchise communities that had long been ignored by the political system.
- Membership reforms were designed to enfranchise junior staff and give them a voice in decisions.
- Digital access can help enfranchise people who are otherwise cut off from public services.
Learner examples
- The group wants to enfranchise people who feel excluded.
- The new rules enfranchised more members of the organization.
Grammar
Dictionary form
enfranchise
IPA
GB/ɪnfɹˈænt͡ʃˌaɪz/
US/ɪnfɹˈænt͡ʃˌaɪz/
Syllables & stress
en - fran - chise (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (fran)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: enfranchise
- 3rd Person Singular: enfranchises
- Present Participle: enfranchising
- Past: enfranchised
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.