business end

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noun

the front part or end of a tool, weapon, etc., with which the work is done or from which a missile is ejected, as opposed to the handle or butt: the business end of a revolver; the business end of a screwdriver.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of business end

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby business end

business class, business college, business cycle, business double, business education, business end, business English, business envelope, business intelligence, businesslike, business machine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use business end in a sentence

After promoting QAnon for more than a year, Flynn now finds himself on the business end of the conspiracy theory.
Michael Flynn to QAnon Believers: I’m Not a Satanist!|Will Sommer|October 8, 2021|The Daily Beast
Gilbert works the business end of the blowpipe as Cobb shapes their work into a disk called a rondelle.
How glassblowers turn silica, soda ash, and lime into stunning works of art|Rachel Feltman|September 23, 2021|Popular-Science
Given her previous work at Wirecutter, a New York Times-owned news company, it’s clear Mann is pioneering the business end of making traditional media profitable in the 21st century.
The Women Reshaping the C-Suite|Nick Fouriezos|January 24, 2021|Ozy
This reporter knocked at the Wilkins home on Tuesday morning but received neither an answer nor the business end of a shotgun.
The 7-Year-Old Plane Crash Survivor’s Brutal Journey Through the Woods|James Higdon|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

If my guy were on the business end of results like those, I'd be psychologically preparing myself.
Michael Tomasky on the Coming Post-Election GOP Freak Out|Michael Tomasky|November 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
As Card put it, “The payroll survey is really getting a very quick pulse on the business end.”
What the August Jobs Number Misses|Alex Klein|September 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He also pledges to bring the business end of a baseball bat to any country that challenges him.
Trump's Tea Party Triumph|Jim DeFede|April 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST
With the business end neutralized, I can relax a little, and take stock of our catch.
How to Catch a Giant Python|Catharine Skipp|February 28, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Sonny Williams, cool as ice behind the business end of a Tommy gun.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
There was a quick flash, and Ben was staring into the business end of a Luger automatic, gripped tightly in the broker's hand.
The Onslaught from Rigel|Fletcher Pratt
There comes an hour of evening when lower Broadway, the business end of the town, is deserted.
Letters from America|Rupert Brooke
He expressed no opinion as to my marrying into such a family, but went about the business end with diligence.
Man and Maid|Elinor Glyn
In working about a mule that kicks, it should be remembered that his head-quarters are not his real business end.
The Foolish Almanak|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for business end

business end

noun

informal the part of a tool or weapon that does the work, as contrasted with the handle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012