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.
Credits roll and a new episode starts, but is this show business or a contained world?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Popularity can make or break a career in show business.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
What advice would you give someone trying to make it in show business?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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
One way that high school theater bears some similarity to professional theater, or any kind of show business, is that ticket sales matter.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
