entrepreneur

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

entrepreneurship

2 of 2

noun (2)

en·​tre·​pre·​neur·​ship -nərˌship 

-nə̄ˌsh-, 

-n(y)u̇(ə)rˌsh-, 

-u̇əˌsh-

: the condition of being an entrepreneur : the role or function of the entrepreneur : entrepreneurial ability or activity

recent American experiences have proved how imaginative private entrepreneurship can continue to be

—L. M. Hacker

voices a plea for the study of entrepreneurship in history

—W. C. Scoville

it is now generally accepted that entrepreneurship consists in the meeting of uncertainty

—Donald Dewey

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

Noun

Actress, producer, entrepreneur, and, as writer Alessandra Codinha confirms, all-around five-star human, Garner graces our cover ahead of the release of summer’s soon-to-be most talked-about series, The Five Star Weekend on Peacock, adapted from Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling beach read. —InStyle, 7 June 2026

The entrepreneur has already been testing the waters. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 June 2026

Yost is term-limited and was effectively forced out of the governor's race last year as GOP support coalesced around biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. —CBS News, 7 June 2026

Amaya takes viewers on a journey through Los Angeles, meeting legendary players, passionate fans, community leaders, activists and entrepreneurs whose stories reveal fútbol as culture, family and belonging. —Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from Old French, from entreprendre to undertake — more at enterprise

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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