business

[biz-nis]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR business ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an occupation, profession, or trade: His business is poultry farming.

the purchase and sale of goods in an attempt to make a profit.

a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.

volume of trade; patronage: Most of the store's business comes from local families.

a building or site where commercial work is carried on, as a factory, store, or office; place of work: His business is on the corner of Broadway and Elm Street.

that with which a person is principally and seriously concerned: Words are a writer's business.

something with which a person is rightfully concerned: What they are doing is none of my business.

affair; project: We were exasperated by the whole business.

an assignment or task; chore: It's your business to wash the dishes now.

Also called piece of business, stage business. Theater. a movement or gesture, especially a minor one, used by an actor to give expressiveness, drama, detail, etc., to a scene or to help portray a character.

excrement: used as a euphemism.

adjective

of, noting, or pertaining to business, its organization, or its procedures.

containing, suitable for, or welcoming business or commerce: New York is a good business town.

Idioms

business is business, profit has precedence over personal considerations: He is reluctant to fire his friend, but business is business.

do one's business, (usually of an animal or child) to defecate or urinate: housebreaking a puppy to do his business outdoors.

get down to business, to apply oneself to serious matters; concentrate on work: They finally got down to business and signed the contract.

give someone the business, Informal.

to make difficulties for someone; treat harshly: Instead of a straight answer they give him the business with a needless run-around.
to scold severely; give a tongue-lashing to: The passengers will give the bus driver the business if he keeps driving so recklessly.

have no business, to have no right: You have no business coming into this house.

mean business, to propose to take action or be serious in intent; be in earnest: By the fire in his eye we knew that he meant business.

mind one's own business, to refrain from meddling in the affairs of others: When he inquired about the noise coming from the neighbor's apartment, he was told to mind his own business.

Origin of business

before 950; Middle English; Old English bisignes. See busy, -ness

Related formsan·ti·busi·ness, adjectivein·ter·busi·ness, adjectivemul·ti·busi·ness, adjectivenon·busi·ness, adjectiveo·ver·bus·i·ness, nounpro·busi·ness, adjective

Synonyms for business

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR business ON THESAURUS.COM

1. calling, vocation, employment. 2. commerce, trade, traffic. 3. company, firm.

Synonym study

1. See occupation.

Pronunciation note

See isn't.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for businesses

field, work, employment, trade, firm, shop, corporation, partnership, factory, store, venture, house, organization, institution, market, transaction, deal, industry, trading, manufacturing

Examples from the Web for businesses

Contemporary Examples of businesses

And then when businesses leave the state, they want to know why.
Christie Blames Parents for Bad Economy
Monica Potts
January 3, 2015
Bitcoin began 2013 with a roaring price of $770 per unit, and businesses right and left were converting to the ethereal product.
You Were Wrong About Miley & Bitcoin: 2014’s Failed Predictions
Nina Strochlic
December 31, 2014
The project tries to help young Turkish women raised in orphanages to start their own businesses.
The Women Battling an Islamist Strongman
Christina Asquith
December 22, 2014
They were forced to leave their homes, businesses and families behind, and old grudges against the Castro regime run deep.
Aging Cuban Exiles And Their Lawmakers Bypassed by White House
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena
December 17, 2014
Authorities have seized more than $250 million in assets from businesses across Rome.
The Mayor Who Took Down the Mafia That Ruined Rome
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 6, 2014

Historical Examples of businesses

And if this is true with regard to men's businesses, is it not equally so with regard to women's?
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Not one half of the businesses which should be exploited are appearing in the newspapers.
The Clock that Had no Hands
Herbert Kaufman
Just as the men farm their own land, the women own their businesses.
The Soul of a People
H. Fielding
People are, for once, minding their own businesses, bless 'em.
Little Miss Grouch
Samuel Hopkins Adams
There seemed to be a fast turnover of businesses in Tetrahyde.
The Status Civilization
Robert Sheckley

British Dictionary definitions for businesses

business

noun

a trade or profession

an industrial, commercial, or professional operation; purchase and sale of goods and servicesthe tailoring business

a commercial or industrial establishment, such as a firm or factory

commercial activity; dealings (esp in the phrase do business)

volume or quantity of commercial activitybusiness is poor today

commercial policy or procedureovercharging is bad business

proper or rightful concern or responsibility (often in the phrase mind one's own business)

a special task; assignment

a matter or matters to be attended tothe business of the meeting

an affair; mattera queer business; I'm tired of the whole business

serious work or activityget down to business

a complicated affair; rigmarole

informal a vaguely defined collection or areajets, fast cars, and all that business

Also called: stage business theatre an incidental action, such as lighting a pipe, performed by an actor for dramatic effect

a group of ferrets

euphemistic defecation (esp in the phrase do one's business)

slang prostitution

like nobody's business informal extremely well or fast

mean business to be in earnest

do the business informal to achieve what is requiredit tastes vile, but it does the business

Word Origin for business

Old English bisignis solicitude, attentiveness, from bisig busy + -nis -ness

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

Word Origin and History for businesses

business

Old English bisignes (Northumbrian) "care, anxiety, occupation," from bisig "careful, anxious, busy, occupied, diligent" (see busy (adj.)) + -ness. Middle English sense of "state of being much occupied or engaged" (mid-14c.) is obsolete, replaced by busyness.

Sense of "a person's work, occupation" is first recorded late 14c. (in late Old English bisig (adj.) appears as a noun with the sense "occupation, state of employment"). Meaning "what one is about at the moment" is from 1590s. Sense of "trade, commercial engagements" is first attested 1727. In 17c. it also could mean "sexual intercourse." Modern two-syllable pronunciation is 17c.

Business card first attested 1840; business letter from 1766. Business end "the practical or effective part" (of something) is American English, by 1874. Phrase business as usual attested from 1865. To mean business "be intent on serious action" is from 1856. To mind (one's) own business is from 1620s. Johnson's dictionary also has busiless "At leisure; without business; unemployed."

Idioms and Phrases with businesses

business

In addition to the idiom beginning with business

business as usual

also see:

funny business
get down to (business)
go about (one's business)
have no business doing
land-office business
like mad (nobody's business)
make it one's business
mean business
mind one's own business
monkey business
none of one's business
out of business
send someone about his or her business
the business