Entrepreneurship is the activity of starting and running new businesses, especially with innovative ideas and growth potential. It involves identifying opportunities, assembling resources, and bearing risk to bring a product or service to market. In practice, it blends creativity, strategic planning, and leadership to pursue scalable ventures.
"Her research into market gaps sparked her entrepreneurship and led to a successful startup."
"Entrepreneurship requires resilience, funding strategies, and the ability to pivot when a plan stalls."
"Universities increasingly offer courses that bridge theory and entrepreneurship for aspiring founders."
"Successful entrepreneurship often combines customer insight with efficient operations and clear value propositions."
Entrepreneurship traces to the late 18th century from the French word entrepreneur, meaning a person who undertakes or manages a project or enterprise. The root entrepreneur itself derives from Old French entreprendre (to undertake), combining entre- (between, to undertake) and prendre (to take). The term evolved in economic and business parlance in the 19th century, initially signaling a person who organizes and risks capital to create a new business. Over time, entrepreneurship broadened from individual risk-taking in commerce to a recognized field of practice and study that emphasizes innovation, opportunity recognition, and scalable ventures, influencing policy, education, and industry strategies worldwide. In modern usage, entrepreneurship connotes a mindset and a set of activities, including ideation, market validation, resource mobilization, growth management, and adaptation to dynamic markets. The concept has grown with tech-enabled startups and social enterprises, reflecting an expanded view of value creation beyond mere business ownership. First known use in English appears in the early 1800s, with growth in the mid-20th century as scholars formalized theories around entrepreneurial finance, opportunity discovery, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "entrepreneurship" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "entrepreneurship" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "entrepreneurship" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "entrepreneurship"
-hip sounds
-ent sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as /ˌɛn.trə.prəˈnɜːr.ʃɪp/ (US) or /ˌɒn.trə.prəˈnɜː.ʃɪp/ (UK) with four clear syllables after the initial stress tilt: en-truh-pruh-NUR-ship, with primary stress on the third syllable ‘neur’ and a final ‘ship’ that rhymes with ‘ship’ in regular speech. Start with a short, unstressed 'en' (ehn). The middle 'tre' becomes a quick schwa before the stressed 'neur' syllable; end with a crisp ‘ship.’ Audio reference: imagine listening to a native speaker say “entrepreneurship” in a business conference.”
Common mistakes: 1) Weakening or misplacing stress: some say en-TRUH-pruh-NER-ship or EN-truh-pren-ership. Correction: keep primary stress on the ‘neur’ syllable: en-trə-prə-ˈnɜːr-ʃɪp. 2) Slurring the ‘prə’ before the stressed syllable, producing too many syllables or a run-together ‘truh-pruh’ chunk. Correction: clearly separate en-trə- and prə- with light pause or crisp transition. 3) Final ‘ship’ mispronounced as ‘sip’ or ‘ship’ with altered vowel: ensure /ʃɪp/ end sound. Practice slowly to maintain accuracy and then speed up as you maintain the same articulation.
US tends to rhoticize the /ɜːr/ in ‘neur’ and maintain a clear /p/ before final /ʃɪp/. UK often reduces the vowel in unstressed syllables slightly and may have a less rhotic /ɜː/ quality; the final /ʃɪp/ remains fairly stable. Australian tends to share US rhotic tendencies in careful speech but can show more centralized vowels in unstressed syllables, with similar final /ʃɪp/; overall rhythm can be slightly more clipped. Focus on keeping /ɜːr/ distinct in all variants.
The difficulty centers on multi-syllabic structure with multiple schwa reductions and a stressed mid syllable: en-trə-prə-ˈnɜːr-ʃɪp. The sequence /trə-prə/ blends quickly, and the /ɜːr/ fragment is non-native-friendly for many learners who are not used to rhotic vowels in the middle of a word; keeping the ‘neur’ sound clear and distinguishing it from the adjacent schwas makes it challenging. Practicing careful segmentation helps.
A unique point is the emphasis pattern across the word: the primary stress falls on the penultimate to final syllable cluster (‘neur’), which is less intuitive since learners expect stress on the first or second syllable in many English loanwords. Practically, you should cue the phrase with a small increase in loudness and a slightly longer vowel on the /ɜːr/ portion, ensuring the final /ʃɪp/ lands promptly after the /r/ without trailing vowels.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "entrepreneurship"!
No related words found
