entrepreneur

[ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noo r; French ahn-truh-pruh-nœr]

See more synonyms for entrepreneur on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural en·tre·pre·neurs

[ahn-truh-pruh-nurz, -noo rz; French ahn-truh-pruh-nœr] /ˌɑn trə prəˈnɜrz, -ˈnʊərz; French ɑ̃ trə prəˈnœr/.

a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
an employer of productive labor; contractor.

verb (used with object)

to deal with or initiate as an entrepreneur.

verb (used without object)

to act as an entrepreneur.

Origin of entrepreneur

1875–80; < French: literally, one who undertakes (some task), equivalent to entrepren(dre) to undertake (< Latin inter- inter- + prendere to take, variant of prehendere) + -eur -eur. See enterprise

Related formsen·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjectiveen·tre·pre·neur·i·al·ly, adverben·tre·pre·neur·i·al·ism, en·tre·pre·neur·ism, nounen·tre·pre·neur·ship, nounnon·en·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjectivesem·i·en·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjective

Can be confusedentrepreneur intrapreneur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for entrepreneur

manager, executive, administrator, producer, contractor, undertaker, founder, backer, businessperson, promoter, industrialist, organizer

Examples from the Web for entrepreneur

Contemporary Examples of entrepreneur

The feisty airline is the brainchild of entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, a Malaysian of Indian descent who also is a British citizen.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370
Lennox Samuels
December 29, 2014
Entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa is a vocal proponent of gender diversity.
Tech’s Male ‘Feminists’ Aren’t Helping
Cate Huston, Karen Catlin
December 8, 2014
A brilliant Silicon Valley entrepreneur may have found a way to get dark money out of politics without changing any laws.
How to Fight Corruption With Game Theory
Mark McKinnon
November 29, 2014
After 10 years, she decided to venture out on her own as an entrepreneur.
Cameroonian Women Fighting Sexism With Tourism
Abena Agyeman-Fisher
November 7, 2014
EatWith is the brainchild of Israeli entrepreneur Guy Michlin.
The Airbnb of Home-Cooked Meals
Itay Hod
November 3, 2014

Historical Examples of entrepreneur

The globality of human praxis is not a scenario invented by some entrepreneur.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
But, as an entrepreneur, Mr. Smith was always ahead of his period.
The Magnificent Montez
Horace Wyndham
The worker appears here as the absolute equal of the entrepreneur.
The Accumulation of Capital
Rosa Luxemburg
"We desire to have nothing to do with either," returned the entrepreneur.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, November 2nd, 1895
Various
The entrepreneur had conducted, the visitor here, there, and everywhere.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, November 2nd, 1895
Various

British Dictionary definitions for entrepreneur

entrepreneur

noun

the owner or manager of a business enterprise who, by risk and initiative, attempts to make profits
a middleman or commercial intermediary

Derived Formsentrepreneurial, adjectiveentrepreneurship, noun

Word Origin for entrepreneur

C19: from French, from entreprendre to undertake; see enterprise

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

Word Origin and History for entrepreneur

1828, "manager or promoter of a theatrical production," reborrowing of French entrepreneur "one who undertakes or manages," agent noun from Old French entreprendre "undertake" (see enterprise). The word first crossed the Channel late 15c. but did not stay. Meaning "business manager" is from 1852. Related: Entrepreneurship.

entrepreneur in Culture

entrepreneur

[(ahn-truh-pruh-nur, ahn-truh-pruh-noor)]

One who starts a business or other venture that promises economic gain but that also entails risks.