mean business

Idioms

Be in earnest. For example, He really means business with this deadline. This idiom uses business in the sense of “a serious endeavor.” [Mid-1800s]

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.

I was usually the only one in the weights room but Alex and Emmanuel would come in and do work-outs and I remember thinking 'wow, they mean business'.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Drones and anti-drones mean business for a host of defense startups and established players.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

“Union baristas mean business and are ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract,” Eisen said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2025

"We have been so unlucky to pick up more injuries, but with these new signings we look like we mean business," he told BBC Sport.

From BBC • Aug. 16, 2024

Math was my specialty—you spend enough time at the cash register and you learn to love numbers, because each and every one means dollars and cents, and enough of those mean business is booming.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023