entrepreneur

noun

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

-ˈn(y)u̇r, 

ˌäⁿn-

: the organizer of a business venture

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

The program helped young entrepreneurs get their business licenses …

—Melanie Nguyen

entrepreneurship

ˌän-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ˌship, 

-ˈn(y)u̇r- 

ˌäⁿn-

noun

… his first successful forays into entrepreneurship.

—Kara Swisher

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

After playing baseball in college and a short stint in the minors, Jerry Lewis started his own business to help other aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those who had been incarcerated or in gangs, to launch their own companies, his son said. —Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026

Jon McNeill is a serial entrepreneur and business leader who served as president of Tesla and helped lead its growth from $2 billion to $20 billion in just 30 months. —Big Think, 26 Mar. 2026

One entrepreneur, Adam Grossman, is on his second attempt at building a better weather app. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026

Kapur, a longtime tech entrepreneur and exec, has served as a board member of Flawless since 2024 and before that served as an adviser. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026

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