English Reference

Word

entrepreneurship

Phoneticsen·trepreneur·ship

US/ˌɑntɹəpɹəˈnɝʃɪp/

UK/ˌɒntɹɪpɹɪnˈɜːʃɪp/

Definitions

01business activity

B2

n. the act of starting a business and taking risks to make it successful.

n. the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

“The university offers a popular course on entrepreneurship for young designers.”

“The government introduced several tax incentives to encourage entrepreneurship among recent graduates in the technology sector.”

Academic

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the general concept or field of study.

Synonyms

enterprisebusiness management

02personal quality

C1

n. the skill or spirit of being an entrepreneur.

n. the personal qualities and skills associated with being an entrepreneur, such as initiative and creativity.

“Her entrepreneurship helped her turn a small hobby into a global brand.”

“The CEO praised the staff for their entrepreneurship, noting that their creative problem-solving had saved the company from bankruptcy.”

Formal

Usage

Often used to describe a person's mindset or approach to work.

Real-World Examples

“Fisher, Straus’ biographer, rightly calls these early examples of what is now known as “ social entrepreneurship ”: the application of business principles to solving social problems.”
The Conversation · 11 Aug 2026
“He says his dad was a “tinkerer” who coined the term “garagemanship” because of his passion for do-it-yourself construction and entrepreneurship.”
Smithsonian Magazine · 12 Aug 2026
“These sessions can focus on nonacademic life skills, like public speaking and entrepreneurship, as well as art and physical education.”
The Conversation · 13 Jul 2026

Etymology

From entrepreneur + -ship.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference