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

From its Bahrain base overlooking a manicured cove in Manama, Vitol over decades built a big business supplying Persian Gulf oil to Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Television rights to broadcast or stream NFL games is a big business.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

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

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Yet credit-card interest is big business, Pierce and other researchers wrote.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 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

Related Words

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