show business
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of show business
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
Popularity can make or break a career in show business.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
The way “Hacks” balances professional wish fulfillment with the cold reality of show business won’t soon be matched by another series, if it ever happens at all.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
YouTube’s annual upfront gatherings used to have the feel of an alternative show business universe, with personalities who built their rabid followings on the streaming platform far away from the audiences for traditional TV.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2026
He was a self-made figure in show business, a nobody who became a somebody in a competitive field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Black minstrelsy was the first large-scale opportunity for African Americans to enter show business.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
