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

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

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

“We kept talking about these tropes from ‘80s movies of slobs versus snobs,” and how it mirrored the mom-and-pop shop versus big business dynamic.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

It’s exactly why the Guthrie case has become big business for so many media entities, independent or otherwise.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Holiday music is big business, with new performers jumping into the action every winter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

The verdict handed down by Hugh Ogden also had a major and lasting impact on the public’s relationship with big business.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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