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

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

Louis XIV realized that the production and export of luxury goods could be big business, and Paris has been a point of pilgrimage for fashion lovers ever since.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

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

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Wall Street isn’t giving Arm Holdings enough credit for a big business transformation, according to an analyst.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

“Selling falcons to Arabian sheiks,” the librarian goes on, “has always been a big business, even when Jesus lived.”

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

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