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.
Driven by nostalgia and a desire for authentic style, old threadbare tees have turned into big business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
More likely, it would persuade big business to pursue due diligence instead of profits over people and the environment.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The deal is the latest indication of how financial products and services catering to American retirees and older workers have become big business on Wall Street.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Sports trading cards are big business in the United States with collectors paying north of $10 million in recent years for cards featuring former NBA stars Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and MLB's Shohei Ohtani.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
American universities, already beginning to enjoy the fruits of collaboration with big business, duly put this relationship to work.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
