enterprise

noun

en·ter·prise | \ ˈen-tər-ˌprīz,

ˈen-tə-ˌprīz\

Definition of enterprise

1 : a project or undertaking that is especially difficult, complicated, or risky

2a : a unit of economic organization or activity especially : a business organization

b : a systematic purposeful activity agriculture is the main economic enterprise among these people

3 : readiness to engage in daring or difficult action : initiative showed great enterprise in dealing with the crisis

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Examples of enterprise in a Sentence

Moving the drilling rig offshore was a costly enterprise. Agriculture is the main economic enterprise among these people. When he purchased the company it was a thriving commercial enterprise. He was criticized for his lack of enterprise in dealing with the crisis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Including debt, the deal had an enterprise value of about $18.8 billion. — Rob Nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Sempra makes $1.6B stock offering to wrap up Oncor acquisition," 10 July 2018 Typical of the new breed of fast-growing tech startups is Drift, which develops enterprise software using chatbot-style messaging. — Robert Weisman, BostonGlobe.com, "Help wanted, but not from older workers: Many struggle to find jobs as employers post openings," 14 June 2018 Including the assumption of the company’s long-term debt, the enterprise value of a transaction would be about $10 billion. — New York Times, "K.K.R. Said to Be Near Deal to Acquire Envision Healthcare," 10 June 2018 Osprey and Blackstone said Falcon Minerals will have an enterprise value of nearly $900 million, including debt. — Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, "New Falcon Minerals created to focus on Eagle Ford," 4 June 2018 An analyst recently calculated that the enterprise value of the F-Series trucks is greater than that of Ford as a whole. — Phoebe Wall Howard, USA TODAY, "Ford to halt all F-150 production, could last weeks," 9 May 2018 An analyst recently calculated that the enterprise value of the F-Series trucks is greater than that of Ford as a whole. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Ford confirms it will stop all F-150 production after supplier fire," 9 May 2018 Additionally, many organizations use increases in overall enterprise value as a basis for incentive compensation plans for key executives. — Tom Cooney And Crystal Faulkner, Cincinnati.com, "Accountant services can reach far beyond tax returns," 25 Apr. 2018 Back in 2011, AmeriGas had installed enterprise software from SAP SE, whose U.S. headquarters is in Newtown Square, to manage its customer data. — Joseph N. Distefano, Philly.com, "Hints of Philly's robotic future: Drones and data dashboards speed deliveries. Will it cut jobs?," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'enterprise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for enterprise

The first known use of enterprise was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for enterprise

enterprise

noun

English Language Learners Definition of enterprise

: a project or activity that involves many people and that is often difficult

: a business organization

: the ability or desire to do dangerous or difficult things or to solve problems in new ways

See the full definition for enterprise in the English Language Learners Dictionary

enterprise

noun

en·ter·prise | \ ˈen-tər-ˌprīz

Kids Definition of enterprise

1 : a project or undertaking that is difficult, complicated, or risky

2 : willingness to engage in daring or difficult action Look at the opportunities here for a man of knowledge, brains, pluck, and enterprise …— Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee

3 : a business organization or activity