big business
Americannoun
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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.
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any large organization of a noncommercial nature resembling this.
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any large business enterprise.
noun
Etymology
Origin of big business
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cuba calls this big business its “medical missions.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Trump, in his Fox appearance, appeared to announce one of the big business deals by saying China had agreed to purchase "200 big" Boeing jets.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
Despite that forecast, Intel still expects packaging to become a big business.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
What is clear though is that robotic weapon systems are big business.
From BBC • May 6, 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
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.
