venture

verb

ven·ture | \ ˈven(t)-shər

ventured; venturing\ ˈven(t)-sh(ə-)riŋ

Definition of venture

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to proceed especially in the face of danger

transitive verb

1 : to expose to hazard : risk, gamble ventured a buck or two on the race

2 : to undertake the risks and dangers of : brave ventured the stormy sea

3 : to offer at the risk of rebuff, rejection, or censure venture an opinion

venture

noun

Definition of venture (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : an undertaking involving chance, risk, or danger especially : a speculative business enterprise

b : a venturesome act

2 : something (such as money or property) at stake in a speculative venture

3 obsolete : destiny, fortune, chance

at a venture

: at random a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king — 1 Kings 22:34 (King James Version)

Other Words from venture Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about venture

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Examples of venture in a Sentence

Verb

We ventured out into the woods. He nervously ventured out onto the ice. The pups never ventured far from home. The company is venturing into the computer software industry. a writer venturing on a new project The group's lead singer is now venturing on a solo career. It's important to plan carefully before venturing on a long journey.

Noun

a venture into the unknown their latest business venture failed big-time

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Two years ago, GiveDirectly, a charity that does cash transfers to the poorest people in the world, did a good job of venturing into disaster relief while staying focused on results. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "Why disaster relief is so hard," 23 Nov. 2018 While a hunting spider could theoretically venture into an area where there is little or no prey, like your bed, Skvarla says spiders generally confine their hunting grounds to the areas their spidey senses tell them prey is more prevalent. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Do You Actually Swallow a Bunch of Spiders When You Sleep?," 8 Feb. 2019 Exploratorium, Pier 15, S.F. www.exploratorium.edu Meet the Animals: Live Animal ambassadors venture from their cages, pens, and perches to greet visitors up close. 2 p.m. Sat. — SFChronicle.com, "Kids listings," 12 July 2018 His son, trained to be a sculptor, ventured into ceramics, where his adroitly expressive work sold rather well. — Peter Plagens, WSJ, "‘Lucio Fontana: On the Threshold’ Review: Creativity That Cuts Against the Grain," 22 Jan. 2019 That the Seahawks are again venturing into Thursday night football with a game this week against Green Bay that, for Seahawks fans, elicits bad memories of the last time Seattle played a mid-week game. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "Introducing, the top 5 Thursday Night Football moments in the Pete Carroll era of Seahawks history," 14 Nov. 2018 In between all of her movie gigs, Whoopi worked on her stand-up career and ventured into the world of TV. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Whoopi Goldberg Battled Dyslexia and Drug Addiction Before Becoming a Movie Star," 8 Nov. 2018 Nowhere is the emergence of a new, overseas-venturing Middle Kingdom middle class more evident than at Britain’s Bicester Village, 60 miles northwest of London. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "How Chinese Tourists Are Changing the Travel Landscape," 2 Nov. 2018 Eartha Davis, a neighbor, recalled seeing Neal always venturing out of her apartment to catch a bus. — Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News, "14-year-old charged in rape, murder of 83-year-old neighbor," 9 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Managing her career and personal life Through her many ventures and career moves, Heidi has had several relationships. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Heidi Klum's Net Worth Is Mind-Bogglingly Huge," 7 Jan. 2019 Now, it is being applied to a delightful new venture with @jumpman23: a limited-edition capsule of Air Jordans as edited by Vogue and inspired by the woman in charge. — Emilia Petrarca, The Cut, "We Regret to Inform You That Anna Wintour Is Now a Hypebeast," 12 July 2018 The bar, at the former home of Boone & Crockett at 2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., is a joint venture by bartending veterans Tripper Duval and Daniel Beres. — Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Lost Whale, a green bar, is opening June 28 in Bay View," 19 June 2018 Who's behind it Mr. Draper is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist known for investing in companies such as Skype, Tesla, and Hotmail and has poured millions of dollars into efforts to break up California. — Kathleen Ronayne, The Christian Science Monitor, "Challenges lay ahead for California's three-state push," 15 June 2018 His first record as Rhye, then a mysterious joint venture with Robin Hannibal, was 2013’s Woman. — Rebecca Haithcoat, GQ, "Rhye Gets Down to Business," 5 June 2018 Still, other companies long have tailored their products to suit China’s enormous market, from Mondelez International Inc.’s green-tea flavored Oreos to General Motors Co.’s joint-venture Baojun brand cars. — Tripp Mickle, WSJ, "Apple’s China Problem May Require a New iPhone," 30 Jan. 2019 The two will surely be working closely together, as a joint venture between the groups is expected to handle most of the USOC's commercial and marketing efforts through the 2028 Games. — Rick Maese, chicagotribune.com, "U.S. Olympic Committee names Sarah Hirshland new CEO," 12 July 2018 American Leadership also purchased five schools from Schoolhouse Development business, another from a joint venture involving Way, and yet another from Portfolio Charter Fund, a finance company in which Way has a minority interest. — Craig Harris, azcentral, "Arizona charter school founder makes millions building his own schools," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'venture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for venture

Verb

Middle English venteren, aphetic form of aventuren, auntren "to occur by chance, expose to risk, take a chance" — more at adventure entry 2

Noun

Middle English, aphetic form of aventure — more at adventure entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near venture

Statistics for venture

Last Updated

15 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for venture

The first known use of venture was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for venture

venture

verb

English Language Learners Definition of venture

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to go somewhere that is unknown, dangerous, etc.

: to start to do something new or different that usually involves risk

: to do, say, or offer something (such as a guess or an opinion) even though you are not sure about it

venture

noun

English Language Learners Definition of venture (Entry 2 of 2)

: a new activity, project, business, etc., that typically involves risk

See the full definition for venture in the English Language Learners Dictionary

venture

verb

ven·ture | \ ˈven-chər

ventured; venturing

Kids Definition of venture

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to offer at the risk of being criticized She wouldn't venture an opinion.

2 : to go ahead in spite of danger When I heard the noise again, I ventured into the cave.

3 : to face the risks and dangers of “I must get to the door!” he kept on saying … but it was a long time before he ventured to try.— J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

4 : to expose to risk She ventured her fortune on the deal.