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free enterprise
noun
: freedom of private business to organize and operate for profit in a competitive system without interference by government beyond regulation necessary to protect public interest and keep the national economy in balance
Examples of free enterprise in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Díaz-Balart and other Cuban-American members of Congress have voiced concerns that because the private sector is under government control, there is no legitimate free enterprise on the island.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 28 May 2024
The constituency for limited government, the rule of law, free enterprise, personal responsibility, etc., is very small.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 May 2024
Economic disadvantage, meanwhile, speaks to an individual’s inability to compete in the free enterprise system because their identity impairs their access to capital and credit.
—Julian Mark, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
But later in August 2018, Ball State trustees changed course on Papa John's controversy, and voted to remove Schnatter’s name from both the institute and a distinguished professorship of free enterprise and return the money donated by the Schnatter Family Foundation.
—The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024
That’s tragic, not only for TikTok’s millions of avid American fans but also for the greater cause of innovation and free enterprise.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2024
Without defending the tax that is government spending for even a second, the fact that country debt followed a broader embrace of free enterprise reads as very much a statement of the obvious, as opposed to the negative way in which Palen described it.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Through numerous programs, National Review Institute has become a major force in the promotion of conservative principles of limited government, free enterprise, and national security.
—Peter J. Travers, National Review, 30 Dec. 2023
National Review has been an essential defender of our democratic and free-market institutions since its founding in 1955, and National Review Institute, the nonprofit journalistic think tank that supports the NR mission, remains steadfast in its commitment to free enterprise.
—Kevin A. Hassett, National Review, 26 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'free enterprise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1890, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near free enterprise
Cite this Entry
“Free enterprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20enterprise. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
free enterprise
noun
: freedom of private business to operate with little regulation by the government
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