definitions

entrepreneur

[ ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noo r; French ahn-truh-pruh-nœr ]
/ ˌɑn trə prəˈnɜr, -ˈnʊər; French ɑ̃ trə prəˈnœr /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

entrecôte, entrelac, entremets, entrench, entrenchment, entrepreneur, entrepreneurial, entrepreneurship, entrepôt, entresol, entropic

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 forms

Can be confused

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

Examples from the Web for entrepreneur

British Dictionary definitions for entrepreneur

entrepreneur

/ (ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜː, French ɑ̃trəprənœr) /

noun

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

Derived Forms

entrepreneurial, 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

Culture definitions for entrepreneur

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.