mean business
IdiomsExample 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
"Act like it! Matter fact, learn from the newbies. Defend each other. They ain't your opponents. They're your new family. And as y'all can see, they mean business."
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
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.
