Meaning & use
an entrepreneur
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Meanings
nouncountable
a person who starts a business, takes on the risk, and tries to make a profit.
Grammar: Use 'an entrepreneur' for one person and 'entrepreneurs' for more than one; the article 'an' goes before the vowel sound.
Patterns
- an entrepreneur who starts something
- a successful entrepreneur
- become an entrepreneur
She became an entrepreneur after quitting her office job to open a bakery.
An entrepreneur must be ready to lose money before the business grows.
The city runs a program to help an entrepreneur find investors.
nouncountablefigurative
someone who sees a chance to do something new and organizes it, even outside business.
Grammar: Often used figuratively for people who start projects, campaigns, or social programs.
Patterns
- a social entrepreneur
- an entrepreneur in education
He is a social entrepreneur who builds schools in poor areas.
She calls herself an entrepreneur in science because she turns research into products.
Word forms
| plural | entrepreneurs |
|---|
Common combinations
- a successful entrepreneur
- A successful entrepreneur learns from every failure.
- become an entrepreneur
- He decided to become an entrepreneur at thirty.
- a young entrepreneur
- A young entrepreneur launched the app from her bedroom.
- an entrepreneur starts a business
- An entrepreneur starts a business and accepts the risk.
Synonyms and how they differ
- business owner
- This is a plain, general term for anyone who owns a company, whether or not they started it.
- founder
- A founder specifically started an organization; an entrepreneur also carries the risk and seeks growth.
- self-starter
- This describes a person with drive, not necessarily someone who runs a business.
Opposites
Word family
- entrepreneurial adjective
- relating to starting and running businesses with risk.
- entrepreneurship noun
- the activity or skill of starting and running businesses.
Commonly confused: an entrepreneur or enterprise?
an entrepreneur vs enterprise
An enterprise is a business or project; an entrepreneur is the person who runs it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'entrepreneur' correctly?
Choose one answer.
An entrepreneur starts businesses and takes risks, so starting three companies fits. Working as a cashier or following orders describes an employee, not an entrepreneur.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “an entrepreneur”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.