enterprise
noun
en·ter·prise
ˈen-tər-ˌprīz 
ˈen-tə-ˌprīz
1
: a project or undertaking that is especially difficult, complicated, or risky
2
a
: 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
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
So Uncle Pat did for nine years, until an employee at his growing enterprise suggested adding provolone.
—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Casinos and online gambling hubs for Chinese-speakers, based in Cambodia and Myanmar, were one of their main enterprises until 2019, when Cambodia tightened its regulations; Covid lockdowns then emptied the casinos.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 12 Apr. 2026
During that period, the enterprise allegedly imported more than 11 million pounds of explosives and related materials onto a site located near residents and a family pool, Nabity said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Anthropic’s early strength in the enterprise has positioned it to benefit from the soaring popularity of AI coding agents, which are used to generate, edit and review code.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enterprise
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Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Casinos and online gambling hubs for Chinese-speakers, based in Cambodia and Myanmar, were one of their main enterprises until 2019, when Cambodia tightened its regulations; Covid lockdowns then emptied the casinos.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 12 Apr. 2026
During that period, the enterprise allegedly imported more than 11 million pounds of explosives and related materials onto a site located near residents and a family pool, Nabity said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Anthropic’s early strength in the enterprise has positioned it to benefit from the soaring popularity of AI coding agents, which are used to generate, edit and review code.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enterprise
Cite this Entry
“Enterprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enterprise. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
enterprise
noun
en·ter·prise
ˈent-ə(r)-ˌprīz
1
: a difficult, complicated, or risky project or undertaking
2
: readiness to engage in daring or difficult action
showed great enterprise in the face of danger
3
: a business organization
enterpriser
noun
-ˌprī-zər
Legal Definition
enterprise
noun
en·ter·prise
ˈen-tər-ˌprīz
: an economic organization or activity
especially
: a business organization
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