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business
[ biz-nis ]
noun
- an occupation, profession, or trade:
His business is poultry farming.
Synonyms: employment, vocation, calling
- the purchase and sale of goods in an attempt to make a profit.
- a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.
- volume of trade; patronage:
Most of the store's business comes from local families.
- a building or site where commercial work is carried on, as a factory, store, or office; place of work:
His business is on the corner of Broadway and Elm Street.
- that with which a person is principally and seriously concerned:
Words are a writer's business.
- something with which a person is rightfully concerned:
What they are doing is none of my business.
- affair; project:
We were exasperated by the whole business.
- an assignment or task; chore:
It's your business to wash the dishes now.
- Also called piece of business, Theater. a movement or gesture, especially a minor one, used by an actor to give expressiveness, drama, detail, etc., to a scene or to help portray a character.
- excrement: used as a euphemism.
adjective
- of, noting, or pertaining to business, its organization, or its procedures.
- containing, suitable for, or welcoming business or commerce:
New York is a good business town.
business
/ ˈbɪznɪs /
noun
- a trade or profession
- an industrial, commercial, or professional operation; purchase and sale of goods and services
the tailoring business
- a commercial or industrial establishment, such as a firm or factory
- commercial activity; dealings (esp in the phrase do business )
- volume or quantity of commercial activity
business is poor today
- commercial policy or procedure
overcharging is bad business
- proper or rightful concern or responsibility (often in the phrase mind one's own business )
- a special task; assignment
- a matter or matters to be attended to
the business of the meeting
- an affair; matter
a queer business
I'm tired of the whole business
- serious work or activity
get down to business
- a complicated affair; rigmarole
- informal.a vaguely defined collection or area
jets, fast cars, and all that business
- Also calledstage business theatre an incidental action, such as lighting a pipe, performed by an actor for dramatic effect
- a group of ferrets
- euphemistic.defecation (esp in the phrase do one's business )
- slang.prostitution
- like nobody's business informal.extremely well or fast
- mean businessto be in earnest
- do the business informal.to achieve what is required
it tastes vile, but it does the business
Pronunciation Note
Other Words From
- an·ti·busi·ness adjective
- in·ter·busi·ness adjective
- mul·ti·busi·ness adjective
- non·busi·ness adjective
- o·ver·bus·i·ness noun
- pro·busi·ness adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of business1
Idioms and Phrases
- business is business, profit has precedence over personal considerations:
He is reluctant to fire his friend, but business is business.
- do one's business, (usually of an animal or child) to defecate or urinate:
housebreaking a puppy to do his business outdoors.
- get down to business, to apply oneself to serious matters; concentrate on work:
They finally got down to business and signed the contract.
- give someone the business, Informal.
- to make difficulties for someone; treat harshly:
Instead of a straight answer they give him the business with a needless run-around.
- to scold severely; give a tongue-lashing to:
The passengers will give the bus driver the business if he keeps driving so recklessly.
- have no business, to have no right:
You have no business coming into this house.
- mean business, to propose to take action or be serious in intent; be in earnest:
By the fire in his eye we knew that he meant business.
- mind one's own business, to refrain from meddling in the affairs of others:
When he inquired about the noise coming from the neighbor's apartment, he was told to mind his own business.
More idioms and phrases containing business
In addition to the idiom beginning with business , also see funny business ; get down to (business) ; go about (one's business) ; have no business doing ; land-office business ; like mad (nobody's business) ; make it one's business ; mean business ; mind one's own business ; monkey business ; none of one's business ; out of business ; send someone about his or her business ; the business .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
But tensions over the business of blue zones have shattered the original collaboration.
“A business is an operation to make money and to expand. And to expand, you have to find more blue zones,” says Anthony Medford, a demographer at the University of Southern Denmark.
And as the idea has transformed from an obscure finding in the demography literature to a massive business venture, a once-productive collaboration between its originators has turned sour.
They’ve also spurred a profitable business empire: one that’s produced books, diets, a multimillion-dollar company, and a Netflix series—all aimed at imparting at least some of those secrets to an eager audience.
"Stacey and Gavin are looking for new ways to spice up their 17-year marriage and Gwen is behaving most strangely. Nessa's started a new business venture and Neil the baby's about to begin an apprenticeship with his dad."
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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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