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

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

Walker suggested changing how stand-up comedians and others in the industry are viewed, explaining: "Essentially every stand-up comedian is a small business, they are an entrepreneur and that should be rewarded and acknowledged."

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Before launching TBPN, Coogan was an entrepreneur in residence at Founders Fund, Peter Thiel’s venture firm.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

The premiere episode features entrepreneur and reality TV star Kylie Jenner, who rarely does podcasts or sit-down interviews.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

“It’s a castle with a moat around it,” said Michael J. Kittredge, a fifty-three-year-old entrepreneur who realized a fortune when he sold his Yankee Candle Company in 1998 for about $500 million.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• administrator
• contractor
• executive
• manager
• producer