entrepreneur

[ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noor, ahn-truh-pruh-nœr]

noun

plural

entrepreneurs 

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to deal with or initiate as an entrepreneur.

verb (used without object)

1. to act as an entrepreneur.

entrepreneur

/ 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

entrepreneur

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

Other Word Forms

• entrepreneurial adjective
• entrepreneurship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of entrepreneur¹

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; enterprise

Word History and Origins

Origin of entrepreneur¹

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

Example Sentences

Taiwan's assistance to it has been hands-on: agricultural experts working side by side with locals, medical teams in small clinics, funding for local entrepreneurs, and inviting students to Taiwan on scholarships.

Read more on BBC

“Literally put me in front of a whiteboard, and I can come up with 100 ideas in an hour,” he recalled in a talk last month with tech entrepreneurs in Italy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Santa Monica City Council agreed earlier this week to pay a settlement to the family of a Black entrepreneur whose land the city acknowledged was unfairly taken through eminent domain during the 1950s.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The "brightest and best" international talent could have settlement fast-tracked, with high earners and entrepreneurs able to stay after just three years.

Read more on BBC

For example, there is a lot of research and development in Europe, and smart entrepreneurs.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• administrator 
• contractor 
• executive 
• manager 
• producer