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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

He added efficacy also depended on the scale of the intervention, and that controlling populations this way risked becoming a "forever enterprise."

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Musk said he expects enterprise revenue, including corporate and government customers, to substantially exceed consumer revenue.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

This September 14–15, technology leaders will gather in New York City for the WSJ Technology Council Summit to explore how enterprise AI is moving from experimentation to measurable business value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

And when the entire enterprise has ceased to sound fun, there is always frozen pizza.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Living, as a general enterprise, seems unkind beyond belief.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Then, perhaps the culmination of Infantino's close association with Trump, came Fifa Forward Enterprise.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 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

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

Vincent H. Smith is a nonresident senior fellow and the director of agricultural policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

I played with it all the time, and Dad played too, calling out deck numbers for the computer to take us to like we were really on board the Enterprise.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

The workflow has gained traction in the AI era as many enterprises struggle to turn AI model access into applications that work inside their day-to-day operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

While the “national team” has intervened in markets before, the analysts say this round differs in its focus on chip makers, artificial-intelligence and technology hardware stocks, rather than large-cap financials and state-owned enterprises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Major cities throughout the States have seen crushing drops in Canadian tourism and business it affords to costly enterprises like ski resorts.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

While this makes Kimi K3 efficient to run, the requirement to hold 2.8 trillion parameters in active memory means the model would be difficult for enterprises to run on their own servers, Sen told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Bacteria are the greatest of all at setting up joint enterprises, on which the lives of their hosts are totally dependent.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

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