entrepreneur

noun en·tre·pre·neur \ ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər , -ˈn(y)u̇r \

Definition of entrepreneur

:one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise

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entrepreneurial

play \ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈn(y)u̇r-ē-əl, -ˈnər-\ adjective

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entrepreneurialism

play \ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈn(y)u̇r-ē-ə-li-zəm, -ˈnər-\ noun

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entrepreneurially

play \ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈn(y)u̇r-ē-ə-lē, -ˈnər-\ adverb

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entrepreneurship

play \ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ˌship, -ˈn(y)u̇r-\ noun

See entrepreneur defined for English-language learners

See entrepreneur defined for kids

Recent Examples of entrepreneur from the Web

The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has tapped local entrepreneur, Brent Cooper, 47, as its new president.

— alexander coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "NKY chamber taps local entrepreneur Brent Cooper as president," 23 Aug. 2017
Hospitality entrepreneurs along the eclipse path have planned for exactly that, too, with a range of events—and even camping trips—for the fair-weather astronomy buff who is willing to spend.

— sulagna misra, vanityfair.com, "Yes, the Solar Eclipse Comes with a V.I.P. Section," 16 Aug. 2017
But perhaps the strongest testament to the brand that Lilly Pulitzer created lies in the entrepreneur's last name.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "The Fascinating Story of How Lilly Pulitzer Came to Be," 10 Aug. 2017
The women received training to run for office, manage campaigns, organize in their communities, take on leadership roles and become entrepreneurs.

— donna m. owens, Essence.com, "Valerie Jarrett Is Giving Women, Activists The Tools They Need To Hold Political Office," 24 July 2017
Hard-charging entrepreneurs have been free to break into new businesses around them.

— The Economist, "Reform of China’s ailing state-owned firms is emboldening them," 20 July 2017
What happens if one entrepreneur wants to put in a runway right where someone else has made another ice sculpture of Donald Trump?

— peter coy, Bloomberg.com, "The New Antarctic Iceberg Is Big Enough for Runways, Water Mines, and Crazy Dance Parties," 18 July 2017
Neocities, built in 2013 by Kyle Drake, 33, a web entrepreneur based in Palo Alto, Calif., is a homage to GeoCities, the early web hosting platform.

— candace jackson, New York Times, "The Latest in Web Design? Retro Websites Inspired by the ’90s," 17 July 2017
And the pressures from the real estate market have led to entrepreneurs spreading out.

— matthew segal, Los Angeles Magazine, "One of the Keys to Enjoying L.A. Is Driving Farther Than a Reasonable Person Should," 14 July 2017

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

The Characteristics of an entrepreneur

You might well wonder whether entrepreneur simply means “a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money” or whether it carries an additional connotation of far-sightedness and innovation. The answer, perhaps unsatisfyingly, is that it can go in either direction.

Entrepreneur has been in used in English to refer to a kind of businessman since at least the middle of the 18th century, when it appeared in translation of the King of Prussia’s instructions for his generals (“. . . if the country happens not to abound in forage, you must agree with some Entrepreneur for the quantity required.”). During the 19th century, it was also used of a go-between or a person who undertakes any kind of activity (as opposed to just a business).

By the early 20th century entrepreneur appears to have taken on the connotation of go-getter when applied to an independent business owner, a quality that may also be found in the phrase entrepreneurial spirit, which began being used at about the same time.