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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

When that will happen remains to be seen, but Langione said recent factors, including public market interest in the technology and a hangover from their lack of AI readiness, are inciting enterprise investments this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He expects Dell’s AI and enterprise businesses to exceed expectations, and for the company to see between 50% and 60% growth in total revenue.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

He added that the company “added several hundred enterprise and other customers in the past year.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Over the last decade the scholarly enterprise has been transformed by the internet.

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

Tuesday also saw chief of global football development Arsene Wenger insist he was "not involved" in Infantino's Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, adding that aborting it was "absolutely necessary and beyond question".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 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

Our forthcoming report from the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family Studies shows how thoroughly Washington has neglected this critical point.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

It began on January 20, 1850, when the HMS Investigator, captained by Robert McClure, and the HMS Enterprise, captained by Richard Collinson, left England in search of John Franklin and his men.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

With the establishment last year of Indonesia's Danantara sovereign wealth fund to manage state assets, "we discovered that there are 1,074 state-owned enterprises," the president told lawmakers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Leaders after Zhu, notably President Hu Jintao, reversed some of Zhu’s reforms, especially on state-owned enterprises, and ended the free-market drive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Intrator adds that CoreWeave is well-positioned to benefit as enterprises increasingly see compute needs as ongoing requirements rather than one-time costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● 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

The principal enterprises of the city were medicine and food-processing and the making of cigarettes.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Related Words

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