enterprise
noun
en·ter·prise
ˈen-tər-ˌprīz 
ˈen-tə-ˌprīz
1
: a project or undertaking that is especially difficult, complicated, or risky
2
a
: a unit of economic organization or activity
especially
: a business organization
b
: a systematic purposeful activity
agriculture is the main economic enterprise among these people
3
: readiness to engage in daring or difficult action : initiative
showed great enterprise in dealing with the crisis
Examples of enterprise in a Sentence
Moving the drilling rig offshore was a costly enterprise.
Agriculture is the main economic enterprise among these people.
When he purchased the company it was a thriving commercial enterprise.
He was criticized for his lack of enterprise in dealing with the crisis.
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniela Amodei framed that presence less as détente and more as a reflection of customer pull, with large enterprises wanting optionality across clouds, and cloud providers wanting to offer what their biggest customers are asking to buy.
—
Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 3 Jan. 2026
Politically, Maduro consolidated power through loyalist networks within the military, intelligence services, criminal enterprises and civilian paramilitary groups known as colectivos.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
When enterprises rely on devs to build passkeys in-house, any gaps or missteps that occur during the process can surface as user friction later on.
—Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
The network now consists of nearly 10,000 satellites delivering broadband internet to individual consumers, governments, and enterprise customers across multiple continents.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enterprise
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Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 3 Jan. 2026
Politically, Maduro consolidated power through loyalist networks within the military, intelligence services, criminal enterprises and civilian paramilitary groups known as colectivos.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
When enterprises rely on devs to build passkeys in-house, any gaps or missteps that occur during the process can surface as user friction later on.
—Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
The network now consists of nearly 10,000 satellites delivering broadband internet to individual consumers, governments, and enterprise customers across multiple continents.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enterprise
Cite this Entry
“Enterprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enterprise. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
enterprise
noun
en·ter·prise
ˈent-ə(r)-ˌprīz
1
: a difficult, complicated, or risky project or undertaking
2
: readiness to engage in daring or difficult action
showed great enterprise in the face of danger
3
: a business organization
enterpriser
noun
-ˌprī-zər
Legal Definition
enterprise
noun
en·ter·prise
ˈen-tər-ˌprīz
: an economic organization or activity
especially
: a business organization
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