Meaning & use
commercial enterprise
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Meanings
nouncountable
A business or company, especially one that aims to make a profit.
Grammar: Countable: 'a commercial enterprise' or 'commercial enterprises'.
Patterns
- a commercial enterprise
- run a commercial enterprise
- set up a commercial enterprise
The family runs a small commercial enterprise in the city center.
New commercial enterprises are opening along the coast.
The law applies to all commercial enterprises, large or small.
noununcountable
The activity of doing business, especially when it involves risk and effort.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about 'commercial enterprise' in general, without 'a' or a plural.
Patterns
- a spirit of commercial enterprise
- encourage commercial enterprise
- a center of commercial enterprise
The city has a long tradition of commercial enterprise.
Tax cuts were introduced to encourage commercial enterprise.
Her book examines the history of commercial enterprise in Asia.
Word forms
| plural | commercial enterprises |
|---|
Common combinations
- successful commercial enterprise
- The bakery grew into a successful commercial enterprise.
- private commercial enterprise
- Private commercial enterprise drives most of the economy.
- a spirit of commercial enterprise
- The region is known for its spirit of commercial enterprise.
- engage in commercial enterprise
- They engage in commercial enterprise along the border.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- enterprise noun
- A company or business, or the quality of being enterprising.
- entrepreneur noun
- A person who starts and runs businesses.
Commonly confused: commercial enterprise or enterprise?
commercial enterprise vs enterprise
'Enterprise' alone can mean a business or a project; 'commercial enterprise' specifically stresses the profit-making, business side.
Practice
In which sentence does 'commercial enterprise' mean the activity of doing business in general?
Choose one answer.
In B, 'commercial enterprise' is uncountable and refers to business activity in general. In the other sentences it is countable and means a specific company.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “commercial enterprise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.