Meanings
nounentrepreneur (plural entrepreneurs)
plural entrepreneurs
- A person who sets up a business; generally, a person who owns and manages a business and assumes its financial risks.First known use 1762
Every rail company worth its salt wanted to connect with London. Interestingly, it was largely that way around - provincial entrepreneurs wanting to connect with the capital, rather than London capitalists seeking to spread outwards.
2021 January 13, Christian Wolmar, “Read all about London's Cathedrals of Steam”, in RAIL, issue 922, page 62 - archaicA person who organizes concerts, plays, or other entertainments; the manager of a theatre or similar venue; an impresario.First known use 1800
- figurativelyraresometimesA person who serves as an intermediary; a middleman; a go-between.
Chicago, it was, by way of compensation, beginning to take on the cosmopolitan cast of culture that it has worn ever since, as entrepreneur between the Old World and the New.
1938, Federal Writers' Project, “Market Place for Words”, in New York Panorama: A Comprehensive View of the Metropolis …, New York: Random House, page 172
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Frenchentrepreneur
- Frenchentrepreneur“one who undertakes or manages”
- Englishentrepreneur
Borrowed from French entrepreneur (“one who undertakes or manages”), from Middle French entrepreneur, from entreprendre (“to undertake”) + -eur.
More words from French, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἐργολάβος
- ἐργολάβος (ergolábos)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Arabic رَائِد أَعْمال مُتَعَهِّد, مُقَاوِل m مُلْتَزِم
- رَائِد أَعْمال مُتَعَهِّد (rāʔid ʔaʕmāl)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- مُقَاوِل m مُلْتَزِم (muqāwil)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- مُنَظِّم (munaẓẓim)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Bengali বিনিয়োগকারী
- বিনিয়োগকারী (biniẏōgkari)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Bulgarian предприема́ч, предприема́чка
- предприема́ч (predpriemáč)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- предприема́чка (predpriemáčka)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Catalan emprenedor, emprenedor
- emprenedorperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- emprenedorperson who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
Chinese Cantonese 企業家 /企业家
- 企業家 /企业家 (kei⁵ jip⁶ gaa¹)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Chinese Mandarin 企業家 /企业家
- 企業家 /企业家 (qǐyèjiā)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Czech podnikatel, podnikatelka
- podnikatelperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- podnikatelkaperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- podnikatelperson who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
- podnikavecperson who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
Danish iværksætter, entreprenør
- iværksætterperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- entreprenørperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Dutch ondernemer, entrepreneur
- ondernemerperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- entrepreneurperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Esperanto entreprenisto, aferisto
- entreprenistoperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- aferistoperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Estonian ettevõtja
- ettevõtjaperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Finnish yrittäjä, yrittäjä
- yrittäjäperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- yrittäjäperson who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
- yrittäjäperson who strives for success and takes on risk by starting his own venture, service etc.
French entrepreneur, entrepreneuse
- entrepreneurperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- entrepreneuseperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
German Unternehmer, Unternehmerin
- Unternehmerperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- Unternehmerinperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- Entrepreneurperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- Entrepreneurinperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Greek επιχειρηματίας, εργολάβος
- επιχειρηματίας (epicheirimatías)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- εργολάβος (ergolávos)person who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
Hebrew יַזָּם
- יַזָּם (yazám)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Hindi व्यवसायी, उद्यमी
- व्यवसायी (vyavsāyī)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- उद्यमी (udyamī)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- कारोबारी (kārobārī)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- उद्यमी (udyamī)person who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
Hungarian vállalkozó
- vállalkozóperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Icelandic framkvæmdamaður
- framkvæmdamaðurperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Indonesian wirausaha
- wirausahaperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Irish fiontraí
- fiontraíperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Italian imprenditore, imprenditrice
- imprenditoreperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- imprenditriceperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Japanese 企業家, 起業家
- 企業家 (kigyōka)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- 起業家 (kigyōka)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- アントレプレナー (antorepurenā)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- アントルプルヌール (antorupurunūru)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- 事業家 (jigyōka)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- 冒険家 (bōkenka)person who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
Korean 기업가, 기업인
- 기업가 (gieopga)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- 기업인 (gieobin)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- 사업가 (sa'eopga)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Latvian uzņēmējs
- uzņēmējsperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Lithuanian verslininkas, verslininkė
- verslininkasperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- verslininkėperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Malay usahawan
- usahawanperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Māori rakahinonga
- rakahinongaperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Norwegian Bokmål entreprenør
- entreprenørperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Polish przedsiębiorca, przedsiębiorczyni
- przedsiębiorcaperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- przedsiębiorczyniperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Portuguese empreendedor, empreendedora
- empreendedorperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- empreendedoraperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Romanian antreprenor, antreprenoare
- antreprenorperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- antreprenoareperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Russian предпринима́тель, предпринима́тельница
- предпринима́тель (predprinimátelʹ)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- предпринима́тельница (predprinimátelʹnica)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Slovak podnikateľ, podnikateľka
- podnikateľperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- podnikateľkaperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Spanish emprendedor, emprendedor comercial
- emprendedorperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- emprendedor comercialperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- comercianteperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- emprendedorperson who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur
Swahili mjasiriamali
- mjasiriamaliperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Swedish entreprenör
- entreprenörperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Tagalog maninikap
- maninikapperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Thai ผู้ประกอบการ
- ผู้ประกอบการ (pûu-bprà-gɔ̀ɔp-gaan)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Turkish atılımcı, girişimci
- atılımcıperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- girişimciperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- müteşebbisperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Ukrainian підприє́мець, підприє́мниця
- підприє́мець (pidpryjémecʹ)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- підприє́мниця (pidpryjémnycja)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Urdu کَاروبارِی
- کَاروبارِی (kārobārī)person who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Vietnamese chủ doanh nghiệp
- chủ doanh nghiệpperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Welsh entrepreneur, dyn busnes
- entrepreneurperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- dyn busnesperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
- mentergarwrperson who organizes and operates a business and assumes the associated risk
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with entrepreneur
yourwereherpersuretourmaturesecureensurepoorvoyeurreferoccurpuremirrorsircellularMooreerpreferinterbrochurecureassure
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
entrepreneur. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/entrepreneur
MLA
“entrepreneur.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/entrepreneur. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “entrepreneur,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/entrepreneur.
Source: entrepreneur on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.