Word
business
Phoneticsbusi·ness
US/ˈbɪznəs/
UK/bˈɪznəs/
Definitions
01a company
n. an organization or shop that makes, buys, or sells things for money.
n. a specific commercial enterprise or establishment. Countable in this sense.
“My uncle started a small business selling handmade furniture last year.”
“The family-owned business managed to survive the economic downturn by pivoting to online sales and reducing overhead costs.”
Synonyms
02commercial activity
n. the activity of buying and selling goods and services.
n. commercial, industrial, or professional activity in general. Uncountable in this sense.
“It is difficult to do business in a country with very strict laws.”
“The chamber of commerce aims to promote local business by hosting networking events and providing grants to startups.”
03personal concern
n. something that involves you personally and is not for other people to worry about.
n. matters that concern a specific person; one's private affairs or responsibility.
“What I do in my free time is my own business.”
“He politely informed the nosy neighbor that his financial situation was none of her business.”
04work or task
n. the work that you do as your job, or a specific task you must finish.
n. a person's occupation, trade, or a specific matter requiring attention.
“She is away in New York on business for two weeks.”
“The committee moved quickly through the agenda to address the most urgent business before the lunch break.”
Synonyms
05travel class
n. a comfortable part of a plane or train for people traveling for work.
n. a class of seating on an aircraft or train between first class and economy.
“The company paid for him to fly business so he could sleep.”
“Upgrading to business allowed the executive to arrive refreshed and ready for the morning negotiations.”
Synonyms
06acting movement
n. small actions an actor does on stage, like pouring a drink.
n. actions or gestures performed by an actor to add detail to a scene without using dialogue.
“The director added some business with a newspaper to make the scene natural.”
“The actor's subtle business with his spectacles conveyed a sense of nervous hesitation that the script alone lacked.”
Technical
Synonyms
07animal waste
n. a polite way to talk about an animal going to the toilet.
n. a euphemism for the act of defecation or the excrement itself, typically regarding pets.
“Make sure you clean up after your dog does his business in the park.”
“The puppy was finally trained to do its business outside on the grass rather than on the carpet.”
Informal
08the best
n. something that is very good or excellent.
n. an entity or event of superior quality or excellence.
“That new burger place is the business.”
“The sound system they installed for the festival was absolutely the business, providing crystal-clear audio even at the back of the field.”
British English · Slang
09professional
adj. related to work or serious professional activity.
adj. pertaining to or used for the purposes of conducting trade or professional governance.
“You should wear business clothes for your interview tomorrow.”
“The hotel offers a business center equipped with high-speed internet and printing facilities for traveling professionals.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Idioms
bad business — Synonym of bad news (“irritating, troublesome or harmful thing, situation or person”).
business as usual — The normal course of an activity, particularly in circumstances that are out of the ordinary.
business end — The part of an object (chiefly a tool or weapon) that is physically used for its operation, rather than some other part such as the part by which it is held.
business girl — A female prostitute.
do one's business — Especially of a house pet: to defecate or urinate.
get down to business — To commit oneself to a task or activity that is employment-related or that requires serious effort or concentration.
give someone the business — To treat someone harshly or in a wrongful manner, such as by abusing, deceiving, or manipulating.
in business — Ready to proceed in a desired activity.
it's none of your business — It's a matter (especially a private or personal one) that you are not entitled to be involved in or informed about.
mean business — To be serious, especially where achieving a specific end against opposition is concerned.
Show all 17
mind one's own business — To concern oneself only with what is of interest to oneself and not interfere in the affairs of others.
monkey business — Activity that is mischievous, stupid, or time-wasting.
none of someone's business — A matter (especially a private or personal one) that someone is not entitled to be involved in or informed about.
place of business — A place where business is conducted, such as an office or a single shop in a franchise.
stage business — Actions performed by an actor on stage done for dramatic effect; especially, action carried out with a prop or piece of clothing, usually away from the focus of the scene, with or without any dialogue.
stroke of business — (of business or trade) a large or considerable amount
take care of business — To successfully perform a task or set of tasks which are very important for the accomplishment of a major objective.
Domains
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englishreference.com/q/business