entrepreneur
noun
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The Characteristics of an Entrepreneur
You might well wonder whether entrepreneur simply means “a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money” or whether it carries an additional connotation of far-sightedness and innovation. The answer, perhaps unsatisfyingly, is that it can go in either direction.
Entrepreneur has been used in English to refer to a kind of businessman since at least the middle of the 18th century, when it appeared in translation of the King of Prussia’s instructions for his generals (“. . . if the country happens not to abound in forage, you must agree with some Entrepreneur for the quantity required.”). During the 19th century, it was also used of a go-between or a person who undertakes any kind of activity (as opposed to just a business).
By the early 20th century entrepreneur appears to have taken on the connotation of go-getter when applied to an independent business owner, a quality that may also be found in the phrase entrepreneurial spirit, which began being used at about the same time.
Examples of entrepreneur in a Sentence
Chris Gallagher, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
An entrepreneur’s greatest risk of failure is to their own reputation.
—Eric Ryan, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Ming Lee, an entrepreneur and socialite, brings a new level of ambition to the group.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 3 Apr. 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping also held a rare meeting with tech entrepreneurs in February, and Beijing has signaled greater support for the private sector, after taking a more restrictive stance in recent years.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for entrepreneur
Cite this Entry
“Entrepreneur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entrepreneur. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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entrepreneur
noun
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