enterprise

noun

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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 Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to buy Dominion Energy’s natural gas transmission and storage business in a deal with an enterprise value of $9.7 billion. — BostonGlobe.com, "Britain negotiates vaccine deal," 6 July 2020 Globally, the company ranks second only to China's state enterprise, which has attempted 15 orbital launches in 2020, two of which have been failures. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: SpaceX faces South Texas review, the Angara A5 costs too much," 3 July 2020 Its enterprise value started the year at $300 million but grew to $4.5 billion on the hope that its coronavirus vaccine work would lead to a successful product. — Damian Garde, STAT, "Inovio claims positive results on Covid-19 vaccine but critical data are missing," 30 June 2020 The companies announced Monday evening that Sunrun would buy Vivint Solar for an enterprise value of $3.2 billion in an all-stock deal. — Jinjoo Lee, WSJ, "Rooftop Solar Rivals Take On Tesla," 7 July 2020 But my son reminded me of a fundamental truth, which is that each of our lives is a start-up enterprise, and there is not just one path to success. — Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, "A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life," 2 July 2020 Trusting in luck as a vague sort of higher power, Cardano realized, was a losing enterprise. — Maria Konnikova, Wired, "Poker and the Psychology of Uncertainty," 23 June 2020 But an encounter with an ICE officer at the airport puts both her enterprise and her immigration status in jeopardy. — NBC News, "Read about the Asian American screenplays that didn't get produced," 19 June 2020 But a key difference is that the quest to put a man on the moon was not only a collective enterprise in spirit; it was also overseen by a national government. — The New Yorker, "The Mail," 15 June 2020

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

26 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Enterprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enterprise. Accessed 3 Aug. 2020.

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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

enterprise

noun

en·ter·prise | \ ˈen-tər-ˌprīz