the business
Idioms-
Verbal abuse, scolding, or teasing; also, a beating. For example, At boarding school new kids always get the business , or The boxer faked and then gave his opponent the business . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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A harsh interrogation, as in The detectives gave each suspect the business . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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Dismissal from work or jilting, as in Once the new management takes over I'm sure to get the business , or Dorothy gave him the business and married someone else . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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.
I opened a bookstore a couple of months ago, so I’m trying to run the business and everything.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Burnham will be a "pro-business" leader as he plans to bolster the business department and bring back Jonathan Reynolds as business secretary, the Financial Times writes.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Though an accountant by trade, he began integrating into the family business and, before his father’s passing, took over the business with his brother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
SpaceX recently acquired Musk’s xAI and went public, bringing Grok AI models and data centers into the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
As the men sailed off to war, the business owners who manned the home front were in a pickle.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
