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

Von Hagens, an anatomist, lecturer and entrepreneur nicknamed "Dr Death," in the 1970s invented the plastination process, which involves removing water and fat from human and animal tissue and replacing them with chemical compounds.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Londoner Bhatia, 46, was awarded the young entrepreneur of the year award in 2013, and sits on the advisory board of the Saudi Arabian government's cultural affairs and international relations unit.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Kim is a celebrated entrepreneur with a personal wealth valued by Forbes at over $8.1 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Los Angeles-based investment firm Content Partners and media entrepreneur Ed Simpson announced Tuesday that they are launching a new company, Wonderloom Media, that will acquire YouTube-creator led businesses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Then in 1869 a local entrepreneur named Sylvester March built the cog railway, the first in the world.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

The new crop of self-made entrepreneurs moving into AI is real, and so is the ambition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

"As a priority it is important for us to support the smallest and less protected entrepreneurs -- there are more than 88,000 of them," she said on Telegram this week.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Latino entrepreneurs who participated in focus groups and surveys described fewer customers, reduced operating hours, canceled orders, staffing disruptions, depleted savings and accumulated debt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Where are the skilled trades, technical workers and entrepreneurs prepared to turn an idea into an operating company?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

People harvested it like hay and fed it to cows; entrepreneurs marketed kudzu cereal, kudzu dog food, and kudzu ketchup.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• administrator
• contractor
• executive
• manager
• producer