The Meaning of Venture: What It Is and How To Use It

Have you ever wondered about the definition of venture? This article will provide you with all of the info you need on the word venture, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word venture mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word venture can be used as a transitive verb or a noun. As a verb, the word venture means to do something that has a risk of danger or some other such risk. As a noun, the word venture refers to a new project or activity that may be exciting because it involves risk. The word venture is two syllables – ven-ture, and the pronunciation of venture is ˈvɛntʃə.The suffixes ed and ing can be added onto venture to form the past tense and present participle ventured and venturing.

The word venture (ˈvɛntʃər) can also refer to a business enterprise or commercial undertaking by venture capitalists. These take a gamble and hope to make great profits on merchandise or other such businesses. This is a risky enterprise with no certainty of success and risk of loss/risk of failure, but the hope of profit and the expectation of gain. This word can also refer to a venture fund for new businesses or a commercial enterprise like startups in the computer software industry or another new project.

What is the origin of the word venture?

According to Etymonline, the word venture has been used as a verb since the early 15th century and as a noun since the year 1400. This comes from a shortened form of the word aventure which itself is a form of the word adventure. This word has been used to mean to dare or presume since the 1500s, to refer to a risky undertaking since the 1560s, to mean an enterprise of a business since the 1580s, and to refer to venture capital since 1943. 

What are synonyms of the word venture?

There are many different words that can be used in place of the word venture. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing or have the sem definition as another word or phrase. Synonyms are useful to know if you are looking to expand your vocabulary or if you want to avoid repeating yourself. The below list of synonyms for the word venture is provided by Thesaurus

Venture (n.) – an attempt

  •  peril
  •  attempt
  •  trial
  •  undertaking
  •  baby
  •  adventure
  •  stab
  •  endeavor
  •  risk
  •  exploit
  •  hazard
  •  pursuit
  •  wager
  •  proposition
  •  deal
  •  enterprise
  •  speculation
  •  pet project
  •  project
  •  spec
  •  stake
  •  setup
  •  investment
  •  experiment
  •  test
  •  thing
  •  feat
  •  gamble
  •  shot
  •  header
  •  chance
  •  essay
  •  jeopardy

Venture (v.) – to take a chance

  •  expose
  •  bet
  •  go out on a limb
  •  take a crack at
  •  brave
  •  advance
  •  presume
  •  assay
  •  make bold
  •  wager
  •  put in jeopardy
  •  get down
  •  imperil
  •  operate
  •  dare say
  •  jeopardize
  •  endanger
  •  hazard
  •  risk
  •  put up
  •  gamble
  •  speculate
  •  play for
  •  try
  •  chance
  •  stake
  •  take a flyer
  •  defy
  •  volunteer
  •  have a fling at
  •  front
  •  challenge
  •  stick one’s neck out
  •  grope
  •  lay open
  •  make a stab at
  •  take a plunge
  •  essay
  •  feel
  •  play the market
  •  experiment
  •  attempt
  •  try out
  •  dare

How can the word venture be used in a sentence?

The word venture can be used in multiple different ways as a noun or a verb. Using a word in a sentence is a great way to incorporate it into your daily vocabulary. You can also try making flashcards or quizzes to test your knowledge. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are several different examples of the word venture to get you started. 

In spite of possible refutation, hazard, and uncertain outcome, the women decided to venture to expose the man with the large fortune as a serial harrasset.

They decided to venture out onto the high seas on a small boat for an adventure and voyage. Their trip was set to take them through the jungle. 

The group’s lead singer started to venture off on her own solar career without talking to her bandmates. This was a dangerous undertaking and a hazardous journey since she knew her friends would not support her leaving the band. 

They began a risky venture in the world of high-tech software with only a supercomputer they refurbished at Princeton University. Despite the risk of possible dangers due to the price of real estate, they knew that their expertise would lead this and other such cooperative ventures to success.

He decided to venture into the world of the stock market in a casual way, with little money so he did not worry about a possible loss. He had no element of doubt and chose different stocks in a series of actions without sufficient reason, but ended up making over triple his money due to the rising market value of those holdings.

I heard her new “venture” was really just a pyramid scheme. The margin of profit of those things is so small and it’s such an undertaking of chance and luck. You could find yourself in some real peril with all of the further purchases they make you do.

The founders of the Russian-American joint venture began their new companies in an uncertain way. While sometimes they had little success, when they did well, they hit the jackpot. Ginny and Leo’s girlfriend worked together well. 

Overall, the word venture can either be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, the word venture is used to refer to some project or activity that is new and exciting. As a verb, this word means to take a risk or a chance on something that might be dangerous or risky but that has great reward. 

Sources:

  1. Venture definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
  2. VENTURE Synonyms: 94 Synonyms & Antonyms for VENTURE | Thesaurus 
  3. venture | Origin and meaning of venture | Online Etymology Dictionary