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

Planters operated the nation’s first “big businesses,” managing large labor forces through factory-like regimentation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lithium has to compete for capital with Rio Tinto’s other big businesses, notably iron ore.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dairy farming is big business in south-west Scotland, with Dumfries and Galloway home to almost half of Scotland's dairy herds.

From BBC

Selling data on private equity and private credit is becoming big business on Wall Street.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ministers also want the UK to make the most of its undoubted expertise in the field because AI is big business with huge potential benefits.

From BBC

Related Words

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