What does "business" mean?
A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.
Business
/ˈbɪz.nɪs/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.
- Grammar: business is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: acting, action, activeness, activism.
- Useful contrasts: domesticity, functions, households.
- Usage evidence: In business today, too many executives spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't even like.
How to use "business"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "business" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "business" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "business" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "business" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "business" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acting" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "business", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A specific commercial enterprise or establishment. countable
"I left my father's business."
- 2 incidental activity performed by an actor for dramatic effect wordnet
- 3 A person's occupation, work, or trade. countable
"He is in the motor and insurance businesses."
- 4 the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money wordnet
- 5 Commercial, industrial, or professional activity. uncountable
"He's such a poor cook, I can't believe he's still in business!"
Show 24 more definitions
- 6 the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects wordnet
- 7 The volume or amount of commercial trade. uncountable
"Business has been slow lately."
- 8 the volume of commercial activity wordnet
- 9 One's dealings; patronage. uncountable
"I shall take my business elsewhere."
- 10 a rightful concern or responsibility wordnet
- 11 Private commercial interests taken collectively. uncountable
"This proposal will satisfy both business and labor."
- 12 an immediate objective wordnet
- 13 The management of commercial enterprises, or the study of such management. uncountable
"I studied business at Harvard."
- 14 business concerns collectively wordnet
- 15 A particular situation or activity. countable
"This UFO stuff is a mighty strange business."
- 16 a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it wordnet
- 17 Any activity or objective needing to be dealt with; especially, one of a financial or legal matter. countable
"Our principal business here is to get drunk."
- 18 customers collectively wordnet
- 19 Something involving one personally. uncountable
"That's none of your business."
- 20 Matters that come before a body for deliberation or action. uncountable
"If that concludes the announcements, we'll move on to new business."
- 21 Business class, the class of seating provided by airlines between first class and coach. uncountable
"Gates, who always flew business or coach, didn't particularly like the high air fares Nishi was charging to Microsoft,[…]"
- 22 Ellipsis of stage business (“aspect of acting”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"The business with the hat is a fine example of the difficulty of distinguishing between 'natural' and 'formal' acting."
- 23 Hollywood, the entertainment industry. countable, informal, uncountable
- 24 Prostitution. countable, slang, uncountable
- 25 The collective noun for a group of ferrets. countable, rare
"I'm sure his goons will go through the ship like a business of ferrets, and they'll want to look in our baggage."
- 26 Something very good; top quality. British, countable, slang, uncountable
"These new phones are the business!"
- 27 The act of defecation, or the excrement itself, particularly that of a non-human animal. slang, uncountable
"Your ferret left his business all over the floor."
- 28 Disruptive shenanigans. countable, slang, uncountable
"I haven't seen cartoons giving someone the business since the 1990s."
- 29 Matters. countable, uncountable
"sorry business"
Adjective
- 1 Of, to, pertaining to, or used for purposes of conducting trade, commerce, governance, advocacy or other professional purposes.
"Please do not use this phone for personal calls; it is a business phone."
- 2 Professional, businesslike, having concern for good business practice.
"He is thoroughly business, but has the happy faculty of transacting it in a genial and courteous manner."
- 3 Supporting business, conducive to the conduct of business.
"Amiens is a thoroughly business town, the business being chiefly with the flax-works."
Example
"In business today, too many executives spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't even like."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "business"?
Common synonyms include: acting, action, activeness, activism, activity, affair.
How do you use "business" in a sentence?
In business today, too many executives spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't even like.
How do you pronounce "business"?
Pronounced /ˈbɪz.nɪs/.
Etymology
From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"
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