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.
Oldfield says: "How do we shore the business up into a place that's right for them to come into without saddling them with a lot of debt?"
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The first-half profit result also benefited from an accelerating productivity drive across the business, Trott said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
GE HealthCare Technologies notched higher profit and revenue in the second quarter, boosted by increased orders across the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Some 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes were found by police when the business was raided in March 2024.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Anthony managed the business side while Stanton—with assistance from coeditor Parker Pillsbury, a former editor of the National Anti-Slavery Standard—handled the editorial content.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
