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Synonyms

show business

American  

noun

  1. the entertainment industry, as theater, motion pictures, television, radio, carnival, and circus.

show business British  

noun

  1. Informal term: show biz.  the entertainment industry, including theatre, films, television, and radio

"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

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.

“Submissions to the U.S. government consultation processes show business essentially wants a single agreement,” McAdoo adds.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Farr also incorporated some nods to her career in show business.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

It’s a big leap from the decades before internet and cable, when network TV news rarely covered show business outside of occasional interviews on their morning shows.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

Documentary filmmakers are, generally speaking, not the glitziest figures in show business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

All over the walls were framed, autographed photographs of major league stars, and also some political and show business celebrities who would come there to eat, bringing friends.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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.