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

Sports are big business for prediction markets, and soccer is the number-one sport outside of the U.S.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Despite that forecast, Intel still expects packaging to become a big business.

From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026

But time and time again, regular Americans who have been harmed by big business have sought redress for their harms in court.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

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

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Astronauts were big business, particularly since American Alan Shepard had been launched into space on May 5, 1961, three weeks after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

Related Words

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