Definition of “business” - English Dictionary

American
Contents

“business” in English

See all translations

businessnoun

uk ​ /ˈbɪz.nɪs/ us ​ /ˈbɪz.nɪs/

business noun (SELLING)

A1 [ U ] the activity of buying and selling goods and services:

My brother's in business.
He's in the frozen food business.
Our firm does a lot of business with overseas customers.
Eventually they found a consultant they felt they could do business with (= with whom they could work well).
Currently, there are fewer firms in business (= operating) in the area than ever before.
This new tax will put a lot of small firms out of business (= they will stop operating).
She set up in business (= started her own company) as a management consultant.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

business noun (WORK)

B1 [ U ] work that you do to earn money:

I'm in Baltimore on business.
a business appointment

› [ U ] the amount of work done or the number of goods or services sold by a company or organization:

Business is good/brisk/booming/flourishing (= I'm selling a lot).
Business is bad/slack/quiet (= I'm not selling much).
How is business (= are you selling much) at the moment?

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

business noun (MATTER)

› [ S or U ] a situation or activity, often one that you are giving your opinion about:

Arranging a trip abroad is a time-consuming business.
These killings are a horrible business.
I make it my business (= I feel it is my particular duty) to check the monthly accounts.
We have some unfinished business to discuss (= we still have something important to discuss).

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

business noun (THINGS YOU DO)

› [ U ] the things that you do or the matters that relate only to you:

I started on the business of filling out the form.
What she does with her life is her business.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

be in business
be none of sb's business
be the business
(it's) business as usual
business before pleasure
do the business
get down to business
have no business doing sth
like nobody's business
not be in the business of sth
what a business!

(Definition of “business” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“business” in American English

See all translations

businessnoun

us ​ /ˈbɪz·nəs, -nəz/

business noun (BUYING AND SELLING)

› [ C/U ] the activity of buying and selling goods and services, or a particular company that does this, or work in general rather than pleasure:

[ C ] He runs a dry cleaning business.
[ U ] I’m in Baltimore on business.
[ U ] Our firm does a lot of business with overseas customers.
[ U ] She’s going into business (= starting a business) as a management consultant.
[ U ] How’s business?

› [ C/U ] Business is also the degree of success of a company or of your work:

[ U ] Business has been good.

business noun (A MATTER)

› [ U ] a matter or a situation:

I have some business to settle with Mr. Redford.
Preparing your taxes can be a tricky business.

business noun (THINGS YOU DO)

› [ U ] the things that you do or the matters that relate only to you:

What she does after work is her own business.
When I asked him what he was doing, he told me it was none of my business (= it did not involve me).

Idiom(s)

business as usual
in business

(Definition of “business” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“business” in Business English

See all translations

businessnoun

uk ​ /ˈbɪznɪs/ us ​ COMMERCE

› [ 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 business
a 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

(Definition of “business” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Help us add to the Cambridge Dictionary!

These examples are from external sources. Click on the icon to tell us if any are not OK.

business

Clearly, this situation will continue until we are in a new phase that offers brighter prospects, which is vital for new business and investment strategies.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
A merger essentially represents ‘business as usual’ and we do not, therefore, believe there should be any presumption that the rules have been breached.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Big businesses are able to seek out for themselves a business location where taxes are at their lowest, which small and medium-sized enterprises cannot do.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
There are many socio-political and ethical reasons for supporting basic research at university research institutes, which is unconstrained by the interests of big business and the war industry.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Certain elements of the aforesaid ‘business community’ will probably enjoy financial spin-offs from this matter, for the agency will call upon their services to deliver information security.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
I cannot accept such a proposal because it would make it impossible for the parties to be independent of business circles.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
As far as the business world is concerned, it will obviously pay for renewal to be possible at the point where information is created, thus getting a return on investment.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
What is beyond doubt is that those who cause damage to the environment in the course of their business have to accept responsibility for it.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
In my view, therefore, the issue of nuclear disarmament is everyone’s business and does not merely concern the two countries now under discussion.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Monitoring bodies that are in some way dependent on the business that is being monitored cannot, with the best will in the world, take an independent decision.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Translations of “business”
 
Need a translator?

Translator tool

Get a quick, free translation!

What is the pronunciation of business?
Browse