/ ˈbɪznəs; NAmE / noun
TRADE
1.
[ U ] the activity of making, buying, selling or supplying goods or services for money
SYN commerce , trade :
business contacts / affairs / interests
a business investment
It's been a pleasure to do business with you.
She has set up in business as a hairdresser.
When he left school, he went into business with his brother.
She works in the computer business.
—see also agribusiness , big business , show business
WORK
2.
[ U ] work that is part of your job :
Is the trip to Rome business or pleasure ?
a business lunch
He's away on business .
3.
[ U ] the amount of work done by a company, etc.; the rate or quality of this work :
Business was bad.
Business was booming.
Her job was to drum up (= increase) business.
How's business?
COMPANY
4.
[ C ] a commercial organization such as a company, shop / store or factory :
to have / start / run a business
business premises
She works in the family business.
They've got a small catering business.
RESPONSIBILITY
5.
[ U ] something that concerns a particular person or organization :
It is the business of the police to protect the community.
I shall make it my business to find out who is responsible.
My private life is none of your business (= does not concern you) .
It's no business of yours who I invite to the party.
IMPORTANT MATTERS
6.
[ U ] important matters that need to be dealt with or discussed :
the main business of the meeting
He has some unfinished business to deal with.
EVENT
7.
[ sing. ] (usually with an adjective) a matter, an event or a situation :
That plane crash was a terrible business.
I found the whole business very depressing.
The business of the missing tickets hasn't been sorted out.
BEING A CUSTOMER
8.
[ U ] ( especially NAmE ) = custom (3):
We're grateful for your business.
•
IDIOMS
- any other business
- be in business
- be the business
- business as usual
- business is business
- get down to business
- go about your business
- have no business doing sth | have no business to do sth
- like nobody's business
- not be in the business of doing sth
- out of business
—more at mean verb , mind verb , ply verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English bisignis anxiety (see busy , -ness ); the sense state of being busy was used from Middle English down to the 18th cent., but is now differentiated as busyness . The use appointed task dates from late Middle English , and from it all the other current senses have developed.