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
Jim is alluding to the fact that Intel’s CPUs have a big presence in enterprise data centers, a different market than the data centers operated by cloud-computing providers.
—
Paulina Likos, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
Their salvation is a continuous, evolving enterprise.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
These micro-contributions add up, enabling even the smallest enterprises to participate in large-scale change.
—Christopher Marquis, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This is not the enterprise of one person, a group of people, a set of researchers, a consortium of universities, or of an individual nation.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enterprise
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Paulina Likos, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
Their salvation is a continuous, evolving enterprise.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
These micro-contributions add up, enabling even the smallest enterprises to participate in large-scale change.
—Christopher Marquis, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This is not the enterprise of one person, a group of people, a set of researchers, a consortium of universities, or of an individual nation.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enterprise
Cite this Entry
“Enterprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enterprise. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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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