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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

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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”

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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

But he said the war was "not necessarily popular" but necessary – perhaps the closest he has come to accepting that Americans have soured on the enterprise.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

“The midterms settled the one question that mattered for many enterprise technology leaders: There will be no federal ceiling on AI regulation anytime soon,” Gilbert said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

The savings will be achieved by “unifying our enterprise tech stack, streaming ecosystem and broadcast architecture, merging parallel technology functions, leveraging AI coding tools and integrating platforms and systems.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

In the company’s earnings release, CEO Matthew Prince cited an acceleration in enterprise customer demand.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

He began work on a series of rules for thinking which would help him establish the truth; he sold some property so that he could be self-sufficient and concentrate on his great enterprise.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

In September, Google and Accenture agreed to train up to 1,000 FDEs to build AI apps on Google’s Gemini Enterprise platform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

As Jean-Luc Picard, the captain who inherited the helm of USS Enterprise from William Shatner’s James T. Kirk, Stewart embodied franchise founder Gene Roddenberry’s humanist outlook.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

And, if millions remember him only as the somewhat taciturn commander of the USS Enterprise, that prospect was not something that worried him.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

The new readers are made by Axon Enterprise, another heavyweight in the police surveillance market that until recently had largely avoided the intense public backlash against Flock Safety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 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

However, the inspections also raised concerns about working conditions an administrative practices at foreign-owned enterprises, including complaints by employees over days off, annual leave and overtime.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

The vessel’s owner, management company and operator are Chinese enterprises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

The hunt for corporate AI returns has spawned a battle for FDEs as enterprises, AI labs and consulting firms fight for the same talent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Rather than hand their data and workflows to a vendor’s FDE, enterprises are putting them on the payroll full-time, The WSJ Leadership Institute’s Belle Lin reports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 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

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Related Words

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