venture
Americannoun
-
ventures
plural
-
an undertaking involving uncertainty as to the outcome, especially a risky or dangerous one.
a mountain-climbing venture.
-
a business enterprise or speculation in which something is risked in the hope of profit; a commercial or other speculation.
Their newest venture allows you to order their products online.
-
the money, ship, cargo, merchandise, or the like, on which risk is taken in a business enterprise or speculation.
-
Obsolete. hazard or risk.
verb (used with object)
-
ventures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ventured,
past participle, past
-
venturing
present participle
-
to expose to hazard; risk.
to venture one's fortune;
to venture one's life.
- Synonyms:
- jeopardize, imperil, endanger
-
to take the risk of; brave the dangers of.
to venture a voyage into space.
-
to undertake to express, as when opposition or resistance appears likely to follow; be bold enough; dare.
I venture to say that you are behaving foolishly.
-
to take the risk of sending.
verb (used without object)
-
ventures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ventured,
past participle, past
-
venturing
present participle
-
to make or embark upon a venture; dare to enter or go.
He ventured deep into the jungle.
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to take a risk; dare; presume.
to venture on an ambitious program of reform.
-
to invest venture capital.
adjective
idioms
verb
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(tr) to expose to danger; hazard
he ventured his life
-
(tr) to brave the dangers of (something)
I'll venture the seas
-
(tr) to dare (to do something)
does he venture to object?
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to express in spite of possible refutation or criticism
I venture that he is not that honest
-
(intr; often foll by out, forth, etc) to embark on a possibly hazardous journey, undertaking, etc
to venture forth upon the high seas
noun
-
an undertaking that is risky or of uncertain outcome
-
-
a commercial undertaking characterized by risk of loss as well as opportunity for profit
-
the merchandise, money, or other property placed at risk in such an undertaking
-
-
something hazarded or risked in an adventure; stake
-
archaic chance or fortune
-
at random; by chance
Synonym Usage
See dare.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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venturesimple
-
venturessimple
-
have venturedperfect
-
has venturedperfect
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am venturingprogressive
-
are venturingprogressive
-
is venturingprogressive
-
have been venturingperfect progressive
-
has been venturingperfect progressive
Past
-
venturedsimple
-
had venturedperfect
-
was venturingprogressive
-
were venturingprogressive
-
had been venturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of venture
First recorded in 1400โ50; late Middle English, shortened from aventure adventure
Explanation
A venture is a risky undertaking. If your latest venture is a dog food store, you hope there are some hungry dogs around. Also, to venture is to go somewhere possibly dangerous, like if you venture out into a snowstorm. Venture is a shortened form of adventure. This happened sometime between 1100 CE and 1400 CE during the time that Middle English was spoken. While the two words are similar in meaning, when you subtract the ad, you lose a teaspoon or two of fun, and add a heaping tablespoon of risk.
Vocabulary lists containing venture
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 7
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"The Cask of Amontillado"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some financial experts consider the Lakers a less risky investment than, say, OpenAI, into which Kushner invested more than $2.1 billion through his venture capital firm, Thrive Capital.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 25, 2026
Nvidia’s venture into financing could help it fulfill shifting demand.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 25, 2026
A few thanked me with national clips lauding my virtual teaching venture.
From Salon โ Aug. 24, 2026
Growing venture capital–backed consumer brands, like Blank Street Coffee and dentist office Tend, traded in neons for pastel greens.
From Slate โ Aug. 21, 2026
“I hope you did not venture far, Miss Fairfax, this morning, or I am sure you must have been wet.—We scarcely got home in time. I hope you turned directly.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Since being set up in 2020, the bank has investment more than £1.2bn in 53 ventures and helped to raise £1.9bn in third-party investment.
From BBC โ Aug. 24, 2026
As Meghan and Harry moved to separate themselves from the royal family and from life in the U.K., they settled down in California in the affluent neighborhood of Montecito and into new business ventures.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 24, 2026
The bank also invested a record £374m in Scottish ventures, while its operating costs were below budget.
From BBC โ Aug. 24, 2026
But the ventures were met with, at best, mixed reviews and, at worst, outright hostility.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 19, 2026
The widow of a big Boston lawyer, she collected funds for various ventures, the publication and dissemination of colored literature a particular concern.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
In this most recent chapter, Heyward has ventured into the front office, Freeman is adding to his Hall of Fame candidacy, and they’re once again on the same team.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 25, 2026
They also ventured farther into space than any humans had ever traveled before, setting a new distance record for human spaceflight.
From Science Daily โ Aug. 24, 2026
Though Root did at least allow Tongue three slips and two leg slips for his hat-trick ball after tea, he stuck with three for the most part here and barely ventured into the funky.
From BBC โ Aug. 19, 2026
Some analysts have ventured to say that diminished demand could keep a lid on oil prices through the rest of the year, even if traffic through the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t fully recover.
From MarketWatch โ Aug. 16, 2026
Doli, however, had said all he intended to say for a while; later, when Taran ventured to speak to him, the dwarf turned angrily away and started holding his breath again.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Leo has taken no long voyages this summer, instead venturing to Pavia, Lampedusa and Assisi for short visits.
From Barron's โ Aug. 21, 2026
Footwear brand Cole Haan is venturing further into travel and lifestyle with its first collection of luggage.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 6, 2026
The sheer scale of the U.S. domestic market — with more than 300 million people — helped American companies scale their businesses before venturing abroad.
From MarketWatch โ Jun. 28, 2026
The King thought about venturing a reply, but then laughed and said: "I'd need advance warning of that..."
From BBC โ Jun. 24, 2026
“I guess so,” said Chester, although he was really a little leery of venturing out into New York City.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ยฉ Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritageยฎ Idioms Dictionary copyright ยฉ 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
