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entrepreneur

[ ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noor; French ahn-truh-pruh-nœr ]
/ ˌɑn trə prəˈnɜr, -ˈnʊər; French ɑ̃ trə prəˈnœr /
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See synonyms for: entrepreneur / entrepreneurs / entrepreneurial / entrepreneurship 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

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; see enterprise

OTHER WORDS FROM entrepreneur

en·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjectiveen·tre·pre·neur·ship, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH entrepreneur

entrepreneur , intrapreneur
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to entrepreneur

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

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.
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