enterprise

[ en-ter-prahyz ]

/ ˈɛn tərˌpraɪz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enterprise ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a plan for such a project.

participation or engagement in such projects: Our country was formed by the enterprise of resolute men and women.

boldness or readiness in undertaking; adventurous spirit; ingenuity.

a company organized for commercial purposes; business firm.

(initial capital letter) Military. 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.

(initial capital letter, italics) U.S. Aerospace. the first space shuttle, used for atmospheric flight and landing tests.

Nearby words

enterotoxin, enterotropic, enterovirus, enterozoa, enterozoon, enterprise, enterprise allowance scheme, enterprise investment scheme, enterprise zone, enterpriser, enterprising

Origin of enterprise

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French, noun use of feminine of entrepris (past participle of entreprendre to undertake) < Latin inter- inter- + prēnsus grasped, seized, contraction of prehēnsus, equivalent to pre- pre- + hend- take hold of + -tus past participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR enterprise

1 plan, undertaking, venture.

4 drive, aggressiveness, push, ambition.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enterprise ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

en·ter·prise·less, adjective

Definition for enterprise (2 of 2)

Enterprise

[ en-ter-prahyz ]

/ ˈɛn tərˌpraɪz /

noun

a city in S Alabama.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for enterprise

Yes, the gun: “While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind.”
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations|Kevin Bleyer|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This, of course, is why the enterprise is called natural science.
2014: Revenge of the Creationists|Karl W. Giberson|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Mitchell was looking to expand his enterprise in the mid-2000s, he ran into a roadblock.
At This Creepy Libertarian Charter School, Kids Must Swear ‘to Be Obedient to Those in Authority’|ProPublica|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Broadcasting & Cable reported that last year, it was a $55 million enterprise.
How TMZ Claims Its Celebrity Scalps, Like Ray Rice|Lloyd Grove|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

After a fruitful year (earning $81 total) he expanded his enterprise.
The Ghost Hotels of the Catskills|Brandon Presser|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At an expense for material, I should think, of $7,400 in all to cover the enterprise.
The Crime of the Century|Henry M. Hunt
She spoke the truth; for the enterprise was not of such difficulty that I needed any one to help me.
The Memoirs of Madame de Montespan, Complete|Madame La Marquise De Montespan
He made the Enterprise office his headquarters, and fairly reveled in the company he found there.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
The enterprise met with the usual fate of all the attempts formed in favour of the Stuarts.
Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745|Mrs. Thomson
Once again he was disappointed in the prominence given by the powerful London press to his London enterprise.
The Regent|E. Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for enterprise

enterprise

/ (ˈɛntəˌpraɪz) /

noun

a project or undertaking, esp one that requires boldness or effort

participation in such projects

readiness to embark on new ventures; boldness and energy

initiative in business
(as modifier)the enterprise culture

a business unit; a company or firm

Derived Forms

enterpriser, noun

Word Origin for enterprise

C15: from Old French entreprise (n), from entreprendre from entre- between (from Latin: inter-) + prendre to take, from Latin prehendere to grasp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with enterprise

enterprise

see free enterprise.

enterprise

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of enterprise

SYNONYMS FOR enterprise

Related forms

Definition for enterprise (2 of 2)

Enterprise

noun

Examples from the Web for enterprise

British Dictionary definitions for enterprise

enterprise

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for enterprise

Idioms and Phrases with enterprise

enterprise