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• enterprise
  enterprise

  noun

  a project undertaken or to be undertaken, especially one that is important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy.
• Enterprise
  Enterprise

  noun

  a city in southern Alabama.

enterprise

¹ American  

[en-ter-prahyz] / ˈɛn tərˌpraɪz /

noun

• enterprises
  plural

1. a project undertaken or to be undertaken, especially one that is important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy.

   To keep the peace is a difficult enterprise.

   Synonyms:

   venture, undertaking, plan

2. a plan for such a project.

3. participation or engagement in such projects.

   Our country was formed by the enterprise of resolute men and women.

4. boldness or readiness in undertaking; adventurous spirit; ingenuity.

   Synonyms:

   ambition, push, aggressiveness, drive

5. a company organized for commercial purposes; business firm.

6. Military. none Enterprise the first nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1961, with a displacement of 89,000 tons (80,723 metric tons) and eight reactors.

7. U.S. Aerospace. none Enterprise the first space shuttle, used for atmospheric flight and landing tests.

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adjective

1. intended for use or consumption by a business firm rather than a consumer.

   enterprise security; enterprise software.

Enterprise ² American  

[en-ter-prahyz] / ˈɛn tərˌpraɪz /

noun

1. a city in southern Alabama.

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enterprise British  

/ ˈɛntəˌpraɪz /

noun

1. a project or undertaking, esp one that requires boldness or effort

2. participation in such projects

3. readiness to embark on new ventures; boldness and energy

4. 1. initiative in business

   2. ( as modifier )

      the enterprise culture

5. a business unit; a company or firm

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enterprise Idioms  

1. see free enterprise.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• enterpriser
  noun
• enterpriseless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• enterprises
  plural

Etymology

Origin of enterprise

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, noun use of feminine of entrepris (past participle of entreprendre “to undertake”), from Latin inter- inter- + prehēnsus, prēnsus, past participle of prehendere, prēndere “to grasp, seize,” equivalent to pre- pre- + -hendere “to grasp”

Explanation

Enterprise describes a readiness to act boldly to get something started, like the enterprise it takes to start a charity with only a dream and a few dollars. Another meaning of enterprise is "a business venture," like a frozen yogurt enterprise. It requires a lot of determination, hard work and the steady belief that people will love your yogurt. People will say you show extraordinary enterprise for your willingness to take on such a challenging project, meaning you have initiative and drive.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

enterprise Enterprise enterprises

Additionally, the company’s cloud business has more than doubled in the past three years as Google sells AI compute to eager enterprise buyers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Previously, she was an investigative reporter at enterprise tech magazine Baseline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He said that Meta’s potential to generate new revenue streams through enterprise deals could help offset concerns about the company’s heavy AI spending.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

That’s according to Macquarie, which estimates an enterprise value-to-EBIT multiple of 4.9-8.4x for the military shipbuilder’s Australasian business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Kuhn’s approach took the scientific enterprise as given, and so inevitably it missed the process of its formation, which was critical to the belated triumph of Copernicanism.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

“Sad that a misrepresentation ruined this man’s life,” she told the Press Enterprise, which was first to report the story.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Business leaders and founders “look at K-12 education and go, ‘Man, how hard can it be to improve this thing?’” said Rick Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

The plan set out £63.6bn over the next four years for what is called the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

An economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Ryan Young, also emphasized the high number of dissenters in predicting a hike.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

But for the Enterprise of the Indies to work, for ships and crews to survive the long voyage, the Earth had to be smaller than Eratosthenes had said.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

While the timelines on commercially meaningful quantum computers are sometimes vague and debated, enterprises are investing today.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Among those was a broad programme to privatise unprofitable state-owned enterprises -- long a guarantee of lifelong so-called "iron rice bowl" employment for millions but which drained public finances.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Increased demand from AI labs, hyperscalers and enterprises led CoreWeave’s revenue backlog to reach $104 billion at the end of the second quarter, up 246% from a year prior.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Both are key in helping enterprises, including Nvidia, save on AI token costs and protect their proprietary data, Briski said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Congress effectively outlawed their communal property, passing vast acreages into the public domain, tracts which then suddenly wound up in the hands of large American ranching enterprises like the Devine Company.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• activity
• business
• company
• firm
• operation
• program
• project
• trade
• venture