as in suffrages
the right to formally express one's position or will in an election
the Territory of Wyoming granted women the franchise in 1869, a full 51 years before the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in all elections
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Recent Examples of franchises
Two new franchises are set to join the WNBA for the 2026 season, and the Connecticut Sun lost a pair of players to the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft held Friday.
—
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2026
Neetu and Sanjeev Bali have owned and operated two Bay Area Denny’s franchises since 2000.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
The Magic are one of 13 NBA teams that’ll be affected by the move after the company has reportedly missed its 2026 payments to the franchises.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
His is the longest tenure of voice in the Rangers’ history, and the third-longest continuous run with the same team among MLB’s 30 franchises.
—Mac Engel
april 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2026
In their place are international investment groups and private equity firms that treat franchises as part of a broader asset portfolio.
—Michael Delayo, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
In features, Bad Robot has been a producer on three big franchises for which Abrams has directed installments, Paramount’s Star Trek and Mission Impossible and Disney’s Star Wars.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
From blockbuster franchises to breakout horror films, studios are seeing how fan engagement on TikTok can quickly turn into real-world audience turnout.
—Partner Content, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
Unless otherwise specified, all franchises made their competition debut in 2008.
—Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Apr. 2026
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2026
Neetu and Sanjeev Bali have owned and operated two Bay Area Denny’s franchises since 2000.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
The Magic are one of 13 NBA teams that’ll be affected by the move after the company has reportedly missed its 2026 payments to the franchises.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
His is the longest tenure of voice in the Rangers’ history, and the third-longest continuous run with the same team among MLB’s 30 franchises.
—Mac Engel
april 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2026
In their place are international investment groups and private equity firms that treat franchises as part of a broader asset portfolio.
—Michael Delayo, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
In features, Bad Robot has been a producer on three big franchises for which Abrams has directed installments, Paramount’s Star Trek and Mission Impossible and Disney’s Star Wars.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
From blockbuster franchises to breakout horror films, studios are seeing how fan engagement on TikTok can quickly turn into real-world audience turnout.
—Partner Content, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
Unless otherwise specified, all franchises made their competition debut in 2008.
—Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Franchises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/franchises. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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