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
Tim Ellis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
The entrepreneur rose to fame as an executive producer and star of the Netflix reality show that showcased affluent Asians in Southern California.
—Lawrence Yee, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
George Foreman, the boxing great who went on to become a grill entrepreneur and occasional TV star, has died.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Now the physicist and tech entrepreneur is focused on chocolate — not from cacao harvested in tropical climates more suited to the plant, but from cacao grown right here in Southern California.
—Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Entrepreneur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entrepreneur. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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entrepreneur
noun
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