Business is work relating to the production, buying, and selling of goods or services.
...young people seeking a career in business.
Jennifer has an impressive academic and business background.
...Harvard Business School.
Synonyms: trade, selling, trading, industry More Synonyms of business
2. uncountable noun
Business is used when talking about how many products or services a company is able to sell. If business is good, a lot of products or services are being sold and if business is bad, few of them are being sold.
They worried that German companies would lose business.
Business is booming.
3. countable noun
A business is an organization which produces and sells goods or which provides a service.
The company was a family business.
The majority of small businesses go broke within the first twenty-four months.
He was short of cash after the collapse of his business.
Synonyms: establishment, company, firm, concern More Synonyms of business
4. uncountable noun [oft onNOUN]
Business is work or some other activity that you do as part of your job and not for pleasure.
I'm here on business.
You can't mix business with pleasure.
...business trips.
5. singular noun
You can use business to refer to a particular area of work or activity in which the aim is to make a profit.
May I ask you what business you're in?
...the music business.
Synonyms: profession, work, calling, job More Synonyms of business
6. singular noun
You can use business to refer to something that you are doing or concerning yourself with.
...recording Ben as he goes about his business.
There was nothing left for the teams to do but get on with the business of racing. [+ of]
7. uncountable noun
You can use business to refer to important matters that you have to deal with.
The most important business was left to the last.
I've got some unfinished business to attend to.
8. uncountable noun [with poss]
If you say that something is your business, you mean that it concerns you personally and that other people have no right to ask questions about it or disagree with it.
My sex life is my business.
If she doesn't want the police involved, that's her business.
It's not our business.
Synonyms: concern, affair, problem, worry More Synonyms of business
9. singular noun
You can use business to refer in a general way to an event, situation, or activity. For example, you cansay something is 'a wretched business' or you can refer to 'this assassination business'.
We have sorted out this wretched business at last.
This whole business is very puzzling.
10. singular noun
You can use business when describing a task that is unpleasant in some way. For example, if you say that doing something is a costly business, you mean that it costs a lot.
[informal]
Coastal defence is a costly business.
Parenting can be a stressful business.
Synonyms: matter, issue, subject, point More Synonyms of business
11. See also big business, show business
12.
See do business
13.
See have no business
14.
See be in business
15.
See be in business
16.
See to mean business
17.
See to mind your own business
18.
See make it one's business to do sth
19.
See not be in the business of doing sth
20.
See out of business
21.
See the business
22.
See business as usual
business in British English
(ˈbɪznɪs)
noun
1.
a trade or profession
2.
an industrial, commercial, or professional operation; purchase and sale of goods and services
the tailoring business
3.
a commercial or industrial establishment, such as a firm or factory
4.
commercial activity; dealings (esp in the phrase do business)
5.
volume or quantity of commercial activity
business is poor today
6.
commercial policy or procedure
overcharging is bad business
7.
proper or rightful concern or responsibility (often in the phrase mind one's own business)
8.
a special task; assignment
9.
a matter or matters to be attended to
the business of the meeting
10.
an affair; matter
a strange business
I'm tired of the whole business
11.
serious work or activity
get down to business
12.
a complicated affair; rigmarole
13. informal
a vaguely defined collection or area
jets, fast cars, and all that business
14. Also called: stage business theatre
an incidental action, such as lighting a pipe, performed by an actor for dramatic effect
15.
a group of ferrets
16. euphemistic
defecation (esp in the phrase do one's business)
17. slang
prostitution
18. like nobody's business
19. mean business
20. do the business
Word origin
Old English bisignis solicitude, attentiveness, from bisigbusy + -nis-ness
business in American English
(ˈbɪznɪs)
noun
1.
one's work, occupation, or profession
2.
a special task, duty, or function
3.
rightful concern or responsibility
no one's business but his own
4.
a matter, affair, activity, etc.
the business of packing for a trip
5.
the buying and selling of commodities and services; commerce; trade
6.
a commercial or industrial establishment; store, factory, etc.
7.
the trade or patronage of customers
8.
commercial practice or policy
9.
a bit of action in a drama, as pouring a drink, intended to establish character, take up a pause in dialogue, etc.
adjective
10.
of or for business
11. Bridge
designating a double intended to penalize one's opponents
see also takeout (sense 4)
Idioms:
do business with
do one's (or its) business
give (or get) the business
mean business
SYNONYMY NOTE: business, in this comparison, refers generally to the buying and selling of commodities andservices and connotes a profit motive; , commerce, trade both refer to the distribution or exchange of commodities, esp. as this involvestheir transportation, but , commerce generally implies such activity on a large scale between cities, countries, etc.;, industry refers chiefly to the large-scale manufacture of commodities
Word origin
ME bisinesse < OE bisignes: see busy & -ness
More idioms containing
business
do a land-office business
mean business
do the business
do something like nobody's business
business as usual
be in business
monkey business
Examples of 'business' in a sentence
business
Resources should be targeted at programmes which businesses understand and use.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But the demand is there if you provide business services.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
There are teachers or people running small businesses.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The full moon in your business chart makes this a great day to get deals signed.
The Sun (2016)
We knew that we could bring them into the business earlier and work with them sooner.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
To move forward as a business and be able to invest and buy better players.
The Sun (2016)
The case has offered an insight into travails he faced running the family business and securing a successor.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They fly around like nobody 's business.
The Sun (2016)
It tends to be moved as a result of business logic first, and then application logic.
Computing (2010)
He has said that he would give key jobs to military generals, business executives and possibly family members.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He is also backed by business angels and family investors.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You have no business without your people.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This is something people in business understand.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The alternative is to go out of business.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They also signalled that the business service sector had fared better than the official data suggested.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We have continued to make strong progress in key growth areas of our business.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He instilled the lesson that a business could make profits and also benefit society.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Businesses will be able to track employees down to the hairdressers in the middle of the day.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Business schools have offered modules in entrepreneurship for more than two decades.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Within six months the plans were in tatters as sales slumped and the business collapsed into administration.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Now the company is making a profit we invest most of it back into the business.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They run a sports business on a commercial basis and they understand it is all about winning.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This had a lot to do with his career in show business.
Kovel, Joel Red Hunting in the Promised Land: Anticommunism and the Making of America (1994)
This enables me to understand how the business works and to work with it to access funding.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Was operation of the logistics chain really a core activity to most businesses?
Thompson, Sir Peter Sharing the Success - the story of NFC (1990)
Many small business owners now use them for work in the week and as a leisure vehicle at the weekend.
The Sun (2013)
So if you look to business life in general, things are changing dramatically.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Perhaps his constituents will ensure that he business after next May?
The Sun (2014)
The whole point is that the process is nobody 's business.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Quotations
Boldness in business is the first, second, and third thingThomas FullerGnomologia
The business of America is businessCalvin CoolidgeAddress to the Society of Newspaper Editors
Dispatch is the soul of business, and nothing contributes more to Dispatch than MethodLord ChesterfieldLetters to His Son
Here's the rule for bargains: `Do other men, for they would do you.' That's the true business preceptCharles DickensMartin Chuzzlewit
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a ratLily Tomlin
The public be damned! I'm working for my stockholdersWilliam H. Vanderbilt
I'll keep it short and sweet. Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in businessC. Montgomery BurnsThe Simpsons
business before pleasure
In other languages
business
British English: business /ˈbɪznɪs/ NOUN
Business is work relating to the production, buying, and selling of goods or services.
Looking for a career in business?
American English: business
Arabic: أَعْمال تـِجارِيَّة
Brazilian Portuguese: negócio
Chinese: 商业
Croatian: posao
Czech: podnikání
Danish: forretninger
Dutch: bedrijf
European Spanish: negocio
Finnish: liiketoiminta
French: affaires
German: Handel
Greek: επιχείρηση
Italian: imprenditoria
Japanese: ビジネス
Korean: 사업
Norwegian: bedrift
Polish: biznes
European Portuguese: negócio
Romanian: afacere
Russian: дело
Latin American Spanish: negocio
Swedish: affärer ekonomisk verksamhet
Thai: ธุรกิจ
Turkish: iş
Ukrainian: бізнес
Vietnamese: việc kinh doanh
All related terms of 'business'
do business
If two people or companies do business with each other, one sells goods or services to the other.
e-business
An e-business is a business which uses the internet to sell goods or services, especially one which does not also have shops or offices that people can visit or phone.
big business
Big business is business which involves very large companies and very large sums of money .
business card
A person's business card or their card is a small card which they give to other people, and which has their name and details of their job and company printed on it.
business case
The case for or against a plan or idea consists of the facts and reasons used to support it or oppose it.
business end
The business end of a tool or weapon is the end of it which does the work or causes damage rather than the end that you hold .
business idea
An idea is a plan, suggestion , or possible course of action.
business park
an area specially designated and landscaped to accommodate business offices, warehouses , light industry , etc
business plan
A business plan is a detailed plan for setting up or developing a business, especially one that is written in order to borrow money.
business suit
a formal suit suitable for wearing to work
business trip
a journey made somewhere and back again for business purposes in one's working capacity
core business
the business activity that is main source of a company's profits and success , usually the activity that the company was originally set up to carry out
mean business
to be serious and determined about what you are doing
new business
New business is the number of new policies that are written by an insurance company in a particular period .
show business
Show business is the entertainment industry of film, theatre, and television.
the business
If you say that someone or something is the business , you mean that they are the best of their kind .
business acumen
Acumen is the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions .
business agent
a representative of a labor union local , who investigates working conditions, negotiates contracts , etc.
business angel
A business angel is a person who gives financial support to a commercial venture and receives a share of any profits from it, but who does not expect to be involved in its management .
business casual
a style of casual clothing worn by businesspeople at work instead of more formal attire
business center
A business center is a room in a hotel with facilities such as computers and a fax machine, that allows guests to work while they are staying at the hotel.
business centre
a place providing office facilities and services
business class
Business class seating on an aeroplane costs less than first class but more than economy class.
business cycle
the recurrent fluctuation between boom and depression in the economic activity of a capitalist country
business hours
Business hours are the hours of the day in which a shop or a company is open for business.
business lunch
a lunch at which business is discussed or transacted
business model
A model is a system that is being used and that people might want to copy in order to achieve similar results.
business office
the office where the financial transactions , bookkeeping, etc. for a firm or institution are carried on
business person
Business people are people who work in business.
business school
A business school is a school or college which teaches business subjects such as economics and management .
business women
a woman engaged in commercial or industrial business, esp as an owner or executive
family business
a business that belongs to a family, and in which family members work
funny business
Funny business is dishonest or unacceptable behaviour.
monkey business
dishonest or unacceptable behaviour
retail business
a firm which sells goods to individual customers
stage business
a trade or profession
be in business
A company that is in business is operating and trading .
business account
a bank account or type of bank account used for business transactions rather than personal ones
business college
a college providing courses in secretarial studies, business management , accounting , commerce , etc
business education
education for general knowledge of business practices
business envelope
an envelope into which standard-size (8 1 ⁄ 2 ″ × 11″) letterhead stationery can be put with only two folds
business expense
an amount of money spent in order to carry out one's work and which can be reclaimed and borne by the business
business leaders
The leader of a group of people or an organization is the person who is in control of it or in charge of it.
business machine
a machine for expediting clerical work, as a computer or adding machine
business manager
a person who ensures the running of a business by managing the work of relevant staff
business meeting
A meeting is an event in which a group of people come together to discuss things or make decisions .
business partner
The partners in a firm or business are the people who share the ownership of it.
business studies
an academic subject that embraces areas such as accounting , marketing and economics
fashion business
the business dealing with style in clothes, cosmetics , behaviour, etc, esp the latest or most admired style
lifestyle business
a small business in which the owner is more anxious to pursue interests that reflect his or her lifestyle than to make more than a comfortable living
Chinese translation of 'business'
business
(ˈbɪznɪs)
n
(u/s) (= matter, question) 事情 (shìqing)
⇒ I've some important business to discuss.我有重要事情要进行讨论。 (Wǒ yǒu zhòngyào shìqing yào jìnxíng tǎolùn.)
(c) (= firm) 公司 (gōngsī) (家, jiā)
⇒ a small business一家小公司 (yī jiā xiǎo gōngsī)
(u) (= occupation) 商业 (shāngyè)
⇒ a career in business从商生涯 (cóngshāng shēngyá)
(u) (= trade) 生意 (shēngyì)
⇒ Companies would lose business.公司生意将下滑。 (gōngsī shēngyì jiāng xiàhuá.)
to be away on business出差 (chūchāi)
he's in the insurance/transport business他在做保险(險)/运(運)输(輸)业(業)务(務) (tā zài zuò bǎoxiǎn/yùnshū yèwù)
to do business with sb和某人做生意 (hé mǒurén zuò shēngyì)
to go out of business破产(產) (pòchǎn)
to get down to business开(開)始干(幹)正事 (kāishǐ gàn zhèngshì)
to make it one's business to do sth主动(動)承担(擔)办(辦)某事 (zhǔdòng chéngdān bàn mǒushì)
he means business (inf) 他是认(認)真的 (tā shì rènzhēn de)
to have no business doing sth无(無)权(權)做某事 (wúquán zuò mǒushì)
it's none of your business别(別)多管闲(閒)事 (bié duōguǎn xiánshì)
that's my business那是我自己的事 (nà shì wǒ zìjǐ de shì)
All related terms of 'business'
e-business
[ c ] ( company ) 电(電)子商务(務)公司 diànzǐ shāngwù gōngsī [ 家 jiā ]
Master of Business Administration ( qualification ) 工商管理硕(碩)士学(學)位 gōngshāng guǎnlǐ shuòshì xuéwèi ( person ) 工商管理硕(碩)士 gōngshāng guǎnlǐ shuòshì
1 (noun)
Definition
commercial activity
young people seeking a career in business
Synonyms
trade
The ministry has control over every aspect of foreign trade.
selling
trading
industry
countries where industry is developing rapidly
manufacturing
commerce
They have made their fortunes from industry and commerce.
dealings
merchandising
2 (noun)
Definition
a commercial or industrial establishment
The company was a family business.
Synonyms
establishment
Shops and other commercial establishments remained closed today.
company
She worked in an insurance company.
firm
The firm's employees were expecting large bonuses.
concern
If not a large concern, his business was at least a successful one.
organization
Most of the funds are provided by voluntary organizations.
corporation
chairperson of a huge multi-national corporation
venture
a Russian-American joint venture
enterprise
There are plenty of small industrial enterprises.
3 (noun)
Definition
a trade or profession
May I ask what business you are in?
Synonyms
profession
Harper was a teacher by profession.
work
What kind of work do you do?
calling
He was a serious man, dedicated to his calling as a physician.
job
the pressure of being the first woman in the job
line
What was your father's line of business?
trade
He was a jeweller by trade.
career
She is now concentrating on a career as a fashion designer.
function
employment
She was unable to find employment in the area.
craft
All kinds of traditional crafts are preserved here.
occupation
I was looking for an occupation which would allow me to travel.
pursuit
They both love outdoor pursuits.
vocation
the levels of knowledge and skill required for success in many vocations
métier
4 (noun)
Definition
an affair
Parenting can be a stressful business.
Synonyms
matter
It was a private matter.
issue
Is it right for the Church to express a view on political issues?
subject
It was I who first raised the subject of moving to Canada.
point
You have missed the main point of my argument.
problem
question
The whole question of aid is a tricky political one.
responsibility
The 600 properties were his responsibility.
task
He had the unenviable task of breaking the bad news.
duty
My duty is to look after the animals.
function
The main function of merchant banks is to raise capital.
topic
They offer tips on topics such as home safety.
assignment
The course involves written assignments and practical tests.
5 (noun)
Definition
an affair
How much I earn is my own business.
Synonyms
concern
The technical aspects are not my concern.
affair
If you want to make a fool of yourself, that is your affair.
problem
worry
His last years were overshadowed by financial worry.
lookout (informal)
It was your lookout if you put your life in danger.
idiom
See mean business
Quotations
Boldness in business is the first, second, and third thing [Thomas Fuller – Gnomologia]The business of America is business [Calvin Coolidge – Address to the Society of Newspaper Editors]Dispatch is the soul of business, and nothing contributes more to Dispatch than Method [Lord Chesterfield – Letters to His Son]Here's the rule for bargains: `Do other men, for they would do you.' That's the true business precept [Charles Dickens – Martin Chuzzlewit]The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat [Lily Tomlin]The public be damned! I'm working for my stockholders [William H. Vanderbilt]I'll keep it short and sweet. Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business [C. Montgomery Burns – The Simpsons]
proverb
business before pleasure
Additional synonyms
in the sense of affair
Definition
a thing to be done or attended to
If you want to make a fool of yourself, that is your affair.
Synonyms
concern,
problem,
business,
matter,
worry,
responsibility,
look-out,
headache (informal)
in the sense of assignment
Definition
something that has been assigned, such as a task
The course involves written assignments and practical tests.
Synonyms
task,
work,
job,
charge,
position,
post,
commission,
exercise,
responsibility,
duty,
mission,
appointment,
undertaking,
occupation,
chore
in the sense of calling
Definition
a profession or occupation, esp. a caring one
He was a serious man, dedicated to his calling as a physician.