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

Christmas markets are not just tradition across Europe, they are big businesses that give cities a huge economic boost every December.

From BBC

ServiceNow provides automation tools to big businesses and has been integrating AI into its own offerings.

From Barron's

But expanding an already big business could involve even more spending, and it will be difficult for Walmart to avoid hefty spending on artificial intelligence if that’s what it takes to keep up with Amazon.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said "film tourism" was "big business" and hoped Frankenstein would bring more people to Burghley.

From BBC

One early favorite: Bill Winters, chief executive of Standard Chartered, another London-based bank with a big business in Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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