entrepreneur

American  

[ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noor, ahn-truh-pruh-nœr] / ˌɑn trə prəˈnɜr, -ˈnʊər, ɑ̃ trə prəˈnœr /

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.

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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

• entrepreneurial adjective
• entrepreneurship noun

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; 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

Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun accused World Liberty Financial of treating backers as its “personal ATM” after his tokens were frozen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

That said, how do you parent four kids as a successful serial entrepreneur?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Tech entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” investor Robert Herjavec has amassed a real-estate portfolio from New York to Australia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

It’s the first release in a new model series developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, the division overseen by billionaire entrepreneur Alexandr Wang, who came onboard in June 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

They were dream-filled, but discerning, too, assessing—the eyes of an entrepreneur.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• administrator
• contractor
• executive
• manager
• producer