business
/ˈbɪznɪs/ noun COMMERCEDefinition
› [U] the activity of buying and selling goods and services: in business She is an academic, but all her brothers work in business.be in business Currently, fewer firms are in business in the area than ever before.go into/set up in business She set up in business as a management consultant.be/be put/go out of business This new tax will put a lot of small firms out of business.do business with sb/sth Our firm does a lot of business with overseas customers.open for business/be open for business The new restaurant opens for business this Saturday, 12th June.a business deal/transaction/investment He made a $550,000 business deal with Beijing Machinery Import and Export.business activities/practices Many of us want to adopt more environmentally friendly business practices.a business venture/proposition/idea We can help you put your business idea into practice. The scare over product safety in China has created a business opportunity for testing laboratories. a business consultant/executive a business contact/partner the business world/sector She stood against a powerful coalition of political and business interests.
› [U] work that you do to earn money: be in the ... business He's in the frozen food business.the music/insurance/tourism business This is a glossary of terms used in the insurance business.on business Are you in Baltimore on business? a business appointment/meeting/trip a business call/letter
› [C] a company or organization that buys and sells goods or services: own/run/manage a business She owns several businesses in the city.set up/start a business He hopes to start a bicycle repair business. a telecoms/design/hairdressing businessa family/local business We are a family business, and everyone helps out in the shop. By the age of 24 I was running my own business.grow/develop/build the business We all know we could perform better, grow the business, plan for the future - if we had more time. Most business owners would like to think they know what their customers want.
› [U] the amount of work done or the number of goods or services sold by a company or organization: How is business at the moment?bring in/attract/win business The ads in the local press brought in a lot of business. He gives tips on finding new business, building a relationship with the customer, and closing deals.business is good/brisk/booming After last year's long dry summer, business is booming for irrigation companies. business is bad/slack/quiet
› [U] the fact that someone buys goods or services from a particular store, company, etc.: lose/need/want sb's business If you do not delight the customer, you risk losing their business.
business as usual › used to say that a business is operating, people are working, etc. in the way that they normally do: It will be business as usual for the office even while the building work is going on.
business is business › used to say that in a particular situation the most important thing is to do what is right for a business: It would have been nice to sell the company to friends, but business is business.
sb you can do business with › someone who you feel you can work well with, because you understand each other: Eventually they found a consultant they felt they could do business with.
→ See also any other business, big business, e-business, first order of business, organizing business, repeat business, show business, small business → See Note company(Definition of business noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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