Dictionary.com

entrepreneur

[ ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noor; French ahn-truh-pruh-nœr ]
/ ˌɑn trə prəˈnɜr, -ˈnʊər; French ɑ̃ trə prəˈnœr /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR entrepreneur ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural en·tre·pre·neurs [ahn-truh-pruh-nurz, -noorz; 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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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

OTHER WORDS FROM entrepreneur

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH entrepreneur

entrepreneur , intrapreneur
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to entrepreneur

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

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 of entrepreneur

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

Cultural 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.