big business
Americannoun
-
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.
-
any large organization of a noncommercial nature resembling this.
-
any large business enterprise.
noun
Etymology
Origin of big business
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Remakes are big business in the gaming industry - something gaming expert Christopher Dring said can come down to "financial necessity".
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The scheme has the backing of some big business names, including investment giant BlackRock, which said about 40% of Americans have no exposure to financial markets.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Cuba calls this big business its “medical missions.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
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
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
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.