Meaning & use
ventured
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“ventured” is a form of “venture”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past tense of venture: to go somewhere risky or to try something bold despite the danger of failure.
Grammar: Often followed by into, out, or to + verb: ventured into the market; ventured to ask.
Patterns
- venture into something
- venture out
- venture to do something
- venture a guess
She ventured into the forest alone at dawn.
He ventured a guess about the final score.
They ventured out despite the heavy snow.
verbtransitivebusinessfinance
Past tense of venture: to risk money or something valuable in a business deal.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually money, capital, or a sum: ventured millions on the project.
Patterns
- venture money on something
- venture capital in something
The firm ventured two million dollars on the new factory.
He had already ventured most of his savings on the startup.
Word forms
| base form | venture |
|---|---|
| third person singular | ventures |
| present participle | venturing |
| past tense | ventured |
| past participle | ventured |
Common combinations
- ventured into
- The company ventured into online sales last year.
- ventured out
- We ventured out after the storm passed.
- ventured a guess
- She ventured a guess at the answer.
- ventured to say
- Few ventured to say what they really thought.
- ventured a fortune
- He ventured a fortune on the risky deal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dared
- Dared stresses courage in the face of fear, while ventured can also mean simply taking a business risk.
- risked
- Risked focuses on exposing something to possible loss; ventured often suggests boldness as well.
- attempted
- Attempted is neutral and means tried; ventured adds the idea of danger or uncertainty.
Opposites
Word family
- venture noun
- a risky or new business project
- venturesome adjective
- willing to take risks
- venturing verb
- the -ing form, meaning going or trying something risky
Commonly confused: ventured or adventured?
ventured vs adventured
Adventured relates to adventure and excitement; ventured is about risk or boldness, often in business or travel.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'ventured' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Venture into' is the natural pattern for entering something risky. 'Venture to' a place is not standard, and 'was ventured' wrongly makes the verb passive here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ventured”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.