entrepreneur

American  

[ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noor, ahn-truh-pruh-nœr] / ˌɑn trə prəˈnɜr, -ˈnʊər, ɑ̃ trə prəˈnœr /

noun

• entrepreneurs
  plural

1. a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

2. an employer of productive labor; contractor.

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verb (used with object)

1. to deal with or initiate as an entrepreneur.

verb (used without object)

1. to act as an entrepreneur.

entrepreneur British  

/ ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜː, ɑ̃trəprənœr /

noun

1. the owner or manager of a business enterprise who, by risk and initiative, attempts to make profits

2. a middleman or commercial intermediary

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entrepreneur Cultural  

1. One who starts a business or other venture that promises economic gain but that also entails risks.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• entrepreneurship
  noun
• entrepreneurial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• entrepreneurs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of entrepreneur

First recorded in 1875–80; from French: literally, “one who undertakes (some task),” equivalent to entrepren(dre) “to undertake” (from Latin inter- inter- + prendere “to take,” variant of prehendere ) + -eur -eur; see enterprise

Explanation

An entrepreneur is someone who starts a new business. Little stores and huge companies both have entrepreneurs behind them. Do you have good ideas for products? Are you OK with the idea of risk? Then maybe you should be an entrepreneur. This is someone who founds a business, whether a tiny one or a huge one. Besides starting the business, the entrepreneur takes on the most of the risk by investing their own money and/or bringing in other investors. For an entrepreneur, their business is their baby.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

entrepreneur entrepreneurs

The Bioloon is the result of a public-private partnership launched by Charlotte Melia, an events entrepreneur, who describes herself as environmentally minded.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

The entrepreneur died in 2010 on the day of the US Thanksgiving holiday, often referred to as Turkey Day.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

The entrepreneur was first diagnosed with the movement disorder in 2014.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

"I've been coming to this river for, what... 25, 35 years?" said entrepreneur Leon Berkers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

This wealthy young entrepreneur might not be such a bad sort, if he was prepared to pass the time of day entertaining children.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

I love meeting young entrepreneurs with their booths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

From health experts, entrepreneurs and influencers, here are ways to pursue a healthy body, mind and soul without exhausting your overdraft.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Launched as a coffee cart in Brooklyn in 2020 by former tech entrepreneurs Vinay Menda and Issam Freiha, the venture capital-backed cafe chain has since grown to nearly 100 locations around the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Collison, among the more well-known billionaire entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, had long been a prominent voice about the transformational potential of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Soon the level of construction would increase even more, as entrepreneurs prepared to cash in on the expected crush of exposition visitors.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• administrator
• contractor
• executive
• manager
• producer