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free enterprise
[ free en-ter-prahyz ]
noun
- an economic and political doctrine holding that a capitalist economy can regulate itself in a freely competitive market through the relationship of supply and demand with a minimum of governmental intervention and regulation.
- the practice of free enterprise in an economy, or the right to practice it.
free enterprise
noun
- an economic system in which commercial organizations compete for profit with little state control
free enterprise
- The freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with minimal governmental regulation .
Other Words From
- free-en·ter·pris·ing adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of free enterprise1
Idioms and Phrases
Also, private enterprise . An undertaking on one's own behalf, especially a shady or illegal one. For example, The city treasurer didn't bother with competitive bids; the spirit of free enterprise just led him to his brother-in-law , or The sergeant indulged in a little private enterprise, selling cigarettes on the black market . This sarcastic application of a term that has meant, since about 1885, the freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with a minimum of government control, dates from the mid-1900s.Compare Meanings
How does free enterprise compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
In announcing Cameron’s hiring, its founder, Nathan Estruth, said: “I simply cannot imagine a more capable and qualified chief executive to help us safeguard free exercise, free speech and free enterprise.”
“And in 2010, Chief Justice Roberts explained in free enterprise that people don’t vote for officers of the United States.”
Mr. Pence, however, is hoping primary voters will return to principles of limited government, free enterprise, fiscal responsibility, and traditional values popularized by his political hero, Mr. Reagan.
So let's hear it for digital "free enterprise."
Sokol, who has written extensively about American exceptionalism and the virtues of free enterprise, minimized slavery and systemic racism, some felt.
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Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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