entrepreneur

noun

en·​tre·​pre·​neur ˌän-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər 

-ˈn(y)u̇r,

ˌäⁿn-

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

entrepreneurship

ˌän-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ˌship

-ˈn(y)u̇r- 

ˌäⁿn-

noun

Did you know?

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 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.

Examples of entrepreneur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to Akbar Sheikh, other interviewees include internet business entrepreneurs such as Tai Lopez, Russell Brunson, Mike Winnet, Dan Henry, as well as motivational online life-style and mental health experts such as Gretchen Rubin, Lauren Tickner, Alex Partridge and Robert Waldinger. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 June 2025

The media personality and DJ tied the knot with entrepreneur Reum in November 2021 in a lavish ceremony at the former Bel Air estate of her late grandfather Barron Hilton. —Clare Fisher, People.com, 26 June 2025

By analyzing business performance data rather than relying solely on conventional credit scores, PayPal can provide capital to a broader range of entrepreneurs. —Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

On Wednesday, the power couple joined makeup entrepreneur Charlotte Tilbury to meet the king, before brushing shoulders with the great and good of the British showbiz scene, in the 10th year of the King's Trust International. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, from entreprendre to undertake — more at enterprise

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for entrepreneur

• restaurateur
• amateur
• connoisseur
• kieselguhr
• monseigneur
• procureur
• retransfer
• saboteur
• silencer
• voyageur
• birr
• blur

Kids Definition

entrepreneur

noun

en·​tre·​pre·​neur ˌän-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər 

-ˈn(y)u̇r

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