big business

American  

noun

1. large business, commercial, and financial firms taken collectively, especially when considered as a group having shared attitudes and goals and exercising control over economic policy, politics, etc.

2. any large organization of a noncommercial nature resembling this.

3. any large business enterprise.

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big business British  

noun

1. large commercial organizations collectively, esp when considered as exploitative or socially harmful

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big business Cultural  

1. Large corporations, as opposed to small individually or family-owned businesses.

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Etymology

Origin of big business

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

But time and time again, regular Americans who have been harmed by big business have sought redress for their harms in court.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

However, OpenAI's move also reflects how big tech does big business.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Yet credit-card interest is big business, Pierce and other researchers wrote.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

Brown says volatile gold swings drove the increase in exports, supported by an another volatile category, aircraft, which surged thanks to big business jet shipments to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

The verdict handed down by Hugh Ogden also had a major and lasting impact on the public’s relationship with big business.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• business
• commerce
• corporation
• management
• production
• trade