| 1. | 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. |
| 2. | the practice of free enterprise in an economy, or the right to practice it. |
| free enterprise n. The freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with minimal government regulation. free'-en'ter·prise' (frē'ěn'tər-prīz') adj. |
free enterprise
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.
