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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 .
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Other Words From
- free-en·ter·pris·ing adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of free enterprise1
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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.Discover More
Example Sentences
There also seems to be an element of free enterprise involved.
It is easy enough to blame the Cubans for banishing free enterprise and throwing an iron curtain around their top athletic talent.
The fate of free enterprise—and freedom itself—hangs in the balance.
He cleverly defended fundraising efforts on behalf of the Greek military in Britain as a matter of free enterprise.
President Obama will from time to time describe himself as a strong believer in the free-enterprise system.
"Absolutely free enterprise" was Mr. Wilson's leading phrase.
Fortunately for the preservation of the free enterprise system, I had tools ready to hand.
It is vigorously dynamic in the limitless initiative and willingness to venture that characterize free enterprise.
It provides the opportunity for American free enterprise to develop on a worldwide scale.
Help us to free enterprise by permitting debate and voting "yes" on our proposal for enterprise zones in America.
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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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