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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
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
The misbegotten fusions of spending and regulation and of business and government confound free enterprise and capitalism.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
America favors respect for norms, free enterprise, and open scientific exploration.
—Alexander William Salter, National Review, 18 June 2024
Gulen has tried to develop a genuinely modern school of Islam that reconciles the religion with liberal democracy, scientific rationalism, ecumenism, and free enterprise…
The Church Undivided
Pope Benedict XVI made reaching out to other faiths and promoting Christian unity hallmarks of his tenure.
—Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1890, in the meaning defined above
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 22 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
free enterprise
noun
: freedom of private business to operate with little regulation by the government
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