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
Dr. Jenny Woo, CNBC, 14 June 2025
In a packed session featuring Atari and Chuck-E-Cheese founder Nolan Bushnell and his family consisting of entrepreneurs, daughter Alissa, and brothers Brent, Wyatt and Dylan, the family discussed the personal, and professional reality of being a Bushnell.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
The owners, mortgage-industry entrepreneur Dmitry Godin and his wife, Victoria, in 2013 paid more than $11.9 million for what had been a 15,065-square-foot mansion on a flag lot on Lake Michigan.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
In addition to legions of rich wives and women who work in the beauty and fashion industries, fans of The Method include celebrities and entrepreneurs: Tracee Ellis Ross, Jennifer Lopez, the power Realtor Claudia Saez-Fromm, the New York City political lobbyist Suri Kasirer.
—Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 12 June 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 17 Jun. 2025.
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entrepreneur
noun
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