free enterprise

noun

: freedom of private business to organize and operate for profit in a competitive system without interference by government beyond regulation necessary to protect public interest and keep the national economy in balance

Examples of free enterprise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But as the Times pointed out, this whole thing has its roots and the time to build, free enterprise thinking. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024 The award is given each year to a business leader who embodies and exemplifies the ideals of free enterprise. Miles Socha, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024 Trump should bring down the guillotine on crony capitalism in favor of the Thomas Edisons who build a better mousetrap in a free enterprise landscape. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 18 Nov. 2024 A lot of advocates for special economic zones also point to Shenzhen, the city in southern China where such a region was established in the 1980s when the Chinese government was experimenting with capitalism and free enterprise. Joshua Keating, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See all Example Sentences for free enterprise 

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of free enterprise was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near free enterprise

Cite this Entry

“Free enterprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20enterprise. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

free enterprise

noun
: freedom of private business to operate with little regulation by the government
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