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Synonyms

mean business

Idioms  
  1. 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.

See Examples For:

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

From Barron's Feb. 11, 2026

I'm at my local 5km community parkrun event on a Saturday morning and I mean business.

From BBC Dec. 5, 2025

Nearly a week after taking the keys to the battered media company, Ellison and his top executives met with reporters at the Paramount Pictures lot Wednesday to show that they mean business.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 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

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