business Definition

business
noun

1. The buying and selling of goods and services. Also called commerce, trade.

Thesaurus: commerce, industry, trade, manufacturing, merchandising, selling, transactions, bargaining, exchange.
2. A shop, firm or commercial company, etc.

Thesaurus: company, corporation, enterprise, establishment, firm, organization, partnership.
3. A regular occupation, trade or profession.

Thesaurus: profession, occupation, calling, career, craft, employment, job, line, function, metier, pursuit, vocation, work.
4. The things that are one's proper or rightful concern.

Example: mind your own business
Thesaurus: concern, affair, duty, issue, matter, point, problem, question, task, responsibility, subject, topic, assignment.
5. Serious work or activity.

Example: get down to business
6. An affair or matter.

Example: a nasty business
7. colloq
A difficult or complicated problem; a bother or nuisance.
8. slang
Exactly what is required; the perfect thing or person, etc for the job.
Form: the business
9. Commercial practice or policy.

Example: Prompt invoicing is good business
10. Economic or commercial dealings, activity, custom or contact.

Example: I have some business with his company
11. The quantity or level of commercial activity.

Example: Business is very poor this quarter
12. theat.
Action on stage, as distinguished from dialogue.
Form: stage business (also)

Idiom: go out of business

To be unable to continue functioning as a business; to fold or go bankrupt.

Idiom: make it one's business to do something

To take a personal interest in or responsibility for doing it, or for seeing that it is done.

Idiom: on business

Said of a person: in the process of doing business or something official.

Idiom: send someone about their business

To dismiss them or send them away abruptly.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon as bisignes meaning ‘busyness', from bisig busy.