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

Get Choice is chaired by Enrique Javier Loya, a Mexican American entrepreneur who has spent a considerable amount of money attempting to make inroads with the GOP, donating roughly $100,000 to state and federal Republicans over the course of his career, including thousands to Enriquez. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 11 Feb. 2026

Together with Shaway Yeh, then group style editorial director of Modern Media, Lim transformed Modern Weekly, a regional lifestyle weekly founded by the Chinese entrepreneur Thomas Shao in 1993, into a Chinese media powerhouse known for forging creative ties with both global and Asian creatives. —Denni Hu, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026

That most assuredly didn’t fit the profile of entrepreneur, arts patron, community activist and business executive Carolyn Wills, who helped save Atlanta’s Fox Theatre from being leveled. —Mark Woolsey, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026

The party is hosted by Noble Mobile, a newer wireless company founded by entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. —Erika Gonzalez, CBS News, 11 Feb. 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