What does "enterprise" mean?
A company, business, organization, or other purposeful endeavor.
Enterprise
/ˈɛntɚˌpɹaɪz/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A company, business, organization, or other purposeful endeavor.
- Grammar: enterprise is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: business, company, firm, initiative.
- Useful contrasts: caution, easy task, nonprofit.
- Usage evidence: Scott is an entrepreneur with much spirit of enterprise.
How to use "enterprise"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "enterprise" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "enterprise" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "enterprise" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "enterprise" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "enterprise" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "business" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "enterprise", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A company, business, organization, or other purposeful endeavor. countable, uncountable
"The government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) are a group of financial services corporations which have been created by the United States Congress."
- 2 a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness) wordnet
- 3 An undertaking, venture, or project, especially a daring and courageous one. countable, uncountable
"Biosphere 2 was a scientific enterprise aimed at the exploration of the complex web of interactions within life systems."
- 4 readiness to embark on bold new ventures wordnet
- 5 A willingness to undertake new or risky projects; energy and initiative. uncountable
"He has shown great enterprise throughout his early career."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 an organization created for business ventures wordnet
- 7 Active participation in projects. uncountable
Verb
- 1 To undertake an enterprise, or something hazardous or difficult. intransitive
"Charles Mordaunt Earl of Peterborow[…], with only 280 horse and 950 foot , enterprised and accomplished the Conquest of Valentia"
- 2 To undertake; to begin and attempt to perform; to venture upon. transitive
"The business must be enterprised this night."
- 3 To put up or house; to entertain. obsolete, transitive
"Him at the threshold met, and well did enterprize."
Proper Noun
- 1 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Coffee County, Alabama.
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Amador County, California.
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Lake County, California.
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Volusia County, Florida.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Spencer County, Indiana.
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Dickinson County, Kansas.
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Clarke County, Mississippi.
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Union County, Mississippi.
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Linn County, Missouri.
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Shelby County, Missouri.
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada.
- 12 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Hocking County, Ohio.
- 13 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Preble County, Ohio.
- 14 A number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Wallowa County, Oregon.
- 15 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Washington County, Utah.
- 16 A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Morgan County, Utah.
- 17 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Wirt County, West Virginia.
- 18 A number of places in the United States:; A town and unincorporated community in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
- 19 A hamlet in the South Slave Region, Northwest Territories, Canada.
- 20 A hamlet in Stone Mills, Ontario, Canada.
- 21 A rural municipality of Saskatchewan, Canada.
- 22 A village in the Demerara-Mahaica region, Guyana.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Scott is an entrepreneur with much spirit of enterprise."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "enterprise"?
Common synonyms include: business, company, firm, initiative, accomplished fact, accomplishment.
How do you use "enterprise" in a sentence?
Scott is an entrepreneur with much spirit of enterprise.
How do you pronounce "enterprise"?
Pronounced /ˈɛntɚˌpɹaɪz/.
Etymology
From Old French via Middle English and Middle French entreprise, feminine past participle of entreprendre (“to undertake”), from entre (“in between”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin inter + prehendō, see prehensile.