French word

franchir

Pronunciation

IPA/fʁɑ̃ʃiʁ/

Meaning

  • verbcross

Example

Il a franchi la rivière en barque.

He crossed the river by boat.

Illustration for franchir (cross)

More examples

Elle doit franchir un obstacle pour obtenir la promotion.

She must overcome an obstacle to obtain the promotion.

Core concept

A person gets from one side of a barrier to the other, physically or figuratively.

Common phrases

  • franchir un obstacle

    overcome an obstacle

  • franchir une étape

    pass a stage

  • franchir un cap

    reach a milestone

Similar words

traverser: To cross a road or area and reach the other side.
passer: To move through a place or situation and continue onward.
surmonter: To overcome fear or a problem and move forward.
dépasser: To exceed a standard or limit, or outperform another person.

Definition in French

Passer d'un côté à l'autre d'un obstacle, d'une limite ou d'une frontière, au sens concret comme au sens figuré.

Word origin

French franchir comes from Old French franchir, based on franc, meaning "free," from a Germanic verb meaning "to make free," and developed the sense of getting past a barrier.

Usage tips

  • Franchir often suggests overcoming a barrier or threshold, while traverser is more usual for simply crossing a road, river, or area.

Other meanings

  • break throughverb

Opposites

Related words

  • franchissablesurmountableadjective
  • infranchissableinsurmountableadjective

Word lists with this word