enterprise

[ en-ter-prahyz ]
See synonyms for enterprise on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a project undertaken or to be undertaken, especially one that is important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy: To keep the peace is a difficult enterprise.

  2. a plan for such a project.

  1. participation or engagement in such projects: Our country was formed by the enterprise of resolute men and women.

  2. boldness or readiness in undertaking; adventurous spirit; ingenuity.

  3. a company organized for commercial purposes; business firm.

  4. Enterprise .Military. the first nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1961, with a displacement of 89,000 tons (80,723 metric tons) and eight reactors.

  5. Enterprise .U.S. Aerospace. the first space shuttle, used for atmospheric flight and landing tests.

adjective
  1. intended for use or consumption by a business firm rather than a consumer: enterprise security; enterprise software.

Origin of enterprise

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, noun use of feminine of entrepris (past participle of entreprendre “to undertake”), from Latin inter- inter- + prehēnsus, prēnsus, past participle of prehendere, prēndere “to grasp, seize,” equivalent to pre- pre- + -hendere “to grasp”

Other words for enterprise

Other words from enterprise

  • en·ter·prise·less, adjective

Words Nearby enterprise

Other definitions for Enterprise (2 of 2)

Enterprise
[ en-ter-prahyz ]

noun
  1. a city in southern Alabama.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use enterprise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enterprise

enterprise

/ (ˈɛntəˌpraɪz) /


noun
  1. a project or undertaking, esp one that requires boldness or effort

  2. participation in such projects

  1. readiness to embark on new ventures; boldness and energy

    • initiative in business

    • (as modifier): the enterprise culture

  2. a business unit; a company or firm

Origin of enterprise

1
C15: from Old French entreprise (n), from entreprendre from entre- between (from Latin: inter-) + prendre to take, from Latin prehendere to grasp

Derived forms of enterprise

  • enterpriser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with enterprise

enterprise

see free enterprise.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.