Meaning of business In English

• 0 the activity of buying and selling goods and services:

  • My brother's in business.

  • He's in the frozen food business.

  • Our firm does a lot of business with overseas customers.

  • Eventually they found a consultant they felt they could do business with (= with whom they could work well).

  • Currently, there are fewer firms in business (= operating) in the area than ever before.

  • This new tax will put a lot of small firms out of business (= they will stop operating).

  • She set up in business (= started her own company) as a management consultant.

• 1 a particular company that buys and sells goods and services:

  • The two brothers established/set up/started up a clothes retailing business.

  • She runs her own printing business.

  • They put a lot of money into the family business.

• 2 work that you do to earn money:

  • I'm in Baltimore on business.

  • a business appointment

  • Business is good/brisk/booming/flourishing (= I'm selling a lot).

  • Business is bad/slack/quiet (= I'm not selling much).

  • How is business (= are you selling much) at the moment?

• 3 a situation or activity, often one that you are giving your opinion about:

  • Arranging a trip abroad is a time-consuming business.

  • These killings are a horrible business.

  • I make it my business (= I feel it is my particular duty) to check the monthly accounts.

  • We have some unfinished business to discuss (= we still have something important to discuss).

• 4 the things that you do or the matters that relate only to you:

  • I started on the business of filling out the form.

  • What she does with her life is her business.

• 5 the activity of buying and selling goods and services, or a particular company that does this, or work in general rather than pleasure:

  • [ C ] He runs a dry cleaning business.

  • [ U ] I’m in Baltimore on business.

  • [ U ] Our firm does a lot of business with overseas customers.

  • [ U ] She’s going into business (= starting a business) as a management consultant.

  • [ U ] How’s business?

  • [ U ] Business has been good.

• 6 a matter or a situation:

  • I have some business to settle with Mr. Redford.

  • Preparing your taxes can be a tricky business.

• 7 the things that you do or the matters that relate only to you:

  • What she does after work is her own business.

  • When I asked him what he was doing, he told me it was none of my business (= it did not involve me).

• 8 the activity of buying and selling goods and services:

  • in business She is an academic, but all her brothers work in business.

  • be in business Currently, fewer firms are in business in the area than ever before.

  • go into/set up in business She set up in business as a management consultant.

  • be/be put/go out of business This new tax will put a lot of small firms out of business.

  • do business with sb/sth Our firm does a lot of business with overseas customers.

  • open for business/be open for business The new restaurant opens for business this Saturday, 12th June.

  • a business deal/transaction/investment He made a $550,000 business deal with Beijing Machinery Import and Export.

  • business activities/practices Many of us want to adopt more environmentally friendly business practices.

  • a business venture/proposition/idea We can help you put your business idea into practice.

  • The scare over product safety in China has created a business opportunity for testing laboratories.

  • a business consultant/executive

  • a business contact/partner

  • the business world/sector

  • She stood against a powerful coalition of political and business interests.

• 9 work that you do to earn money:

  • be in the ... business He's in the frozen food business.

  • the music/insurance/tourism business This is a glossary of terms used in the insurance business.

  • on business Are you in Baltimore on business?

  • a business appointment/meeting/trip

  • a business call/letter

• 10 a company or organization that buys and sells goods or services:

  • own/run/manage a business She owns several businesses in the city.

  • set up/start a business He hopes to start a bicycle repair business.

  • a telecoms/design/hairdressing business

  • a family/local business We are a family business, and everyone helps out in the shop.

  • By the age of 24 I was running my own business.

  • grow/develop/build the business We all know we could perform better, grow the business, plan for the future - if we had more time.

  • Most business owners would like to think they know what their customers want.

• 11 the amount of work done or the number of goods or services sold by a company or organization:

  • How is business at the moment?

  • bring in/attract/win business The ads in the local press brought in a lot of business.

  • He gives tips on finding new business, building a relationship with the customer, and closing deals.

  • business is good/brisk/booming After last year's long dry summer, business is booming for irrigation companies.

  • business is bad/slack/quiet

• 12 the fact that someone buys goods or services from a particular store, company, etc.:

  • lose/need/want sb's business If you do not delight the customer, you risk losing their business.

• 13 used to say that a business is operating, people are working, etc. in the way that they normally do:

  • It will be business as usual for the office even while the building work is going on.

• 14 used to say that in a particular situation the most important thing is to do what is right for a business:

  • It would have been nice to sell the company to friends, but business is business.

• 15 someone who you feel you can work well with, because you understand each other:

  • Eventually they found a consultant they felt they could do business with.