entrepreneur
noun
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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
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Credit typically goes to inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison, who created the first commercial light and power system in the United States.
—Ernest Freeberg, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
That requires South African businesses hiring Nigerian engineers, Egyptian venture capitalists funding Ethiopian startups, entrepreneurs in the diaspora building talent pipelines across the continent.
—Emeka Ajene, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Today’s digital entrepreneur might be tomorrow’s Wayfair or Warby Parker, and big media companies want to strike partnerships now.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for entrepreneur
Cite this Entry
“Entrepreneur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entrepreneur. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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entrepreneur
noun
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