entrepreneur

American  

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

noun

entrepreneurs plural

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

Derived Forms

• entrepreneurship
  noun
• entrepreneurial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• entrepreneurs
  plural

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; see 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

See Examples For:

entrepreneur entrepreneurs

Von Hagens, an anatomist, lecturer and entrepreneur nicknamed "Dr Death," in the 1970s invented the plastination process, which involves removing water and fat from human and animal tissue and replacing them with chemical compounds.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

She often does intake for her store at her kitchen table, surrounded by needlepoint pillows made by her Great-Uncle Elliott, who was also an entrepreneur.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

A minor league team plans to launch in Irvine next year, and the entrepreneur behind it is pitching it as a way to provide fans with a taste of Asian baseball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

He was an accomplished artist, inventor and entrepreneur and the accidental inventor of the modern blast-furnace brick.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Then in 1869 a local entrepreneur named Sylvester March built the cog railway, the first in the world.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Latino entrepreneurs who participated in focus groups and surveys described fewer customers, reduced operating hours, canceled orders, staffing disruptions, depleted savings and accumulated debt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

"There is an ecosystem that's conducive to the emergence of entrepreneurs like us. That strengthens our confidence in the outlook," said Yattabare, who now hopes to conquer the European market.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Some of the firms scored their windfalls due to their closeness to founders like Musk, raising questions about whether they will have the same access to future entrepreneurs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

And while their own startup had flopped, the entrepreneurs were more confident than ever in their operational skills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Superstar lawyers and math whizzes and software entrepreneurs appear at first blush to lie outside ordinary experience.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• administrator
• contractor
• executive
• manager
• producer