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

For CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs and investors navigating growth, succession, or transformation through M&A, let this reading list be your field guide. —Jennifer J. Fondrevay, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Based on the true story of entrepreneur Molly Bloom, this crime drama biopic is a riveting rise-and-fall saga. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026

Koukoumidis and Surman agree that a much larger community of researchers and entrepreneurs should be collaborating to advance AI, which is one of the goals of Oumi. —Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026

In other words, the age-old trance of acceptance has broken, and there are suddenly too many entrepreneurs capturing disaffected audiences by accusing legacy institutions of corruption and cowardice. —Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 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