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

Through mutual friends, Kerr has got to know astronautics entrepreneur Chris Stott - who is the boss of American company Lonestar Data Holdings.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

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

In a wide-ranging interview, the entrepreneur also made typically outlandish predictions, such as claiming "money won't matter" in a decade.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

A minor league team plans to launch in Irvine next year, and the entrepreneur behind it is pitching it as a way to provide fans with a taste of Asian baseball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

No wonder Matt had become such a clever manipulator and entrepreneur.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

It has a liberal side—secure property rights, courts that constrain the state—that shields entrepreneurs from arbitrary state power, ranging from selective prosecution to outright expropriation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The company has launched a major advertising campaign across Russia in recent days with the tagline: "Support entrepreneurs with an order".

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

AI is turning that assumption upside down, and more aspiring entrepreneurs are going it alone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The new regulations "considerably broaden the scope for entrepreneurs and private companies on the island," state controlled media reported.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Unfortunately for the entrepreneurs, then came the Great Depression, and the commercial impulse withered.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• administrator
• contractor
• executive
• manager
• producer