{
    "term": "franchise",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "formal permission given by a company to somebody who wants to sell its goods or services in a particular area; formal permission given by a government to somebody who wants to operate a public service as a business",
            "labels": "(North American English)(British English)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a **franchise agreement/company**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a catering/rail franchise"
                },
                {
                    "text": "In the reorganization, Southern Television lost their franchise."
                },
                {
                    "text": "to operate a business **under franchise**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis."
                },
                {
                    "text": "TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The company has just won a television franchise."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The diving school has acquired a franchise for scuba equipment."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The franchise was awarded to a French company."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the company that holds the franchise for the south-east of the country"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Business"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fast-food", "rail", "sports"],
                "verb + franchise": ["have", "hold", "own"],
                "franchise + noun": ["system", "business", "company"],
                "preposition": ["franchise for"],
                "phrases": ["on a franchise basis"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a business or service run under franchise",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They operate franchises in London and Paris."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He's got a job as manager of a burger franchise."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He runs a local pizza franchise."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Business"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fast-food", "rail", "sports"],
                "verb + franchise": ["have", "hold", "own"],
                "franchise + noun": ["system", "business", "company"],
                "preposition": ["franchise for"],
                "phrases": ["on a franchise basis"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "the right to vote in a country’s elections",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "universal adult franchise"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The 1918 Reform Act extended the franchise to women over 30."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The franchise was later extended to all adults over eighteen."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He had to exercise the franchise on behalf of other council members."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was decided that all men in the armed forces should qualify for the franchise."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Politics"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["democratic", "universal", "limited"],
                "verb + franchise": ["qualify for", "exercise", "extend"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a set of films in which the same characters appear in related stories",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Disney has successfully revived the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, with four films already released and more in the works."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Film and theatre"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfræntʃaɪz/",
                "audio": "fr/franchise/franchise__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfræntʃaɪz/",
                "audio": "fr/franchise/franchise__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (denoting a grant of legal immunity): from Old French, based on franc, franche ‘free’, from medieval Latin francus ‘free’. Sense (3) dates from the late 18th cent. and senses (1 and 2) from the 20th cent."
}