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business

business

∞ 1.3
The work a person does to earn money
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪznəs/
: profesión
  • His business as a freelance graphic designer has been thriving since last year.
  • go about one's business
  • back in the business
  • job or business

And I said, no, I'm a business guy and I'm here to serve.

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Examples

  • I got into this business to help heal people.

  • I wish I had a business like this.

  • This is why real estate is the best business ever, ever.

  • I could lose my job or business if I am not able to go into work.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Because of course, being in this business does have risks.

  • And my fourth year in business was awful.

  • Why do you think I'm so successful in this business, Mary?

  • If we talked, we talked about business, survival, and the bottom line of things.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You have to decide what business you're building, right?

  • I'm always here for business and that's what we're here for.

Synonyms

job
vsbusiness
∞ 1.0

Work that you do regularly to earn money

refers to the person's habitual occupation rather than a single post
career
vsbusiness
∞ 1.8

The jobs a person does during their working life

focuses on a person's usual present occupation, not their whole job history
profession
vsbusiness
296 3.0

A job that needs special training or education, like a doctor

covers any usual paid activity, not only those needing special training
line of work
vsbusiness
100 3.1

A type of job someone does to earn money

is broader, naming the person's usual paid activity overall
occupation
vsbusiness
100 2.7

A job or profession that a person does to earn money

is the general everyday term for a person's regular paid activity
biz
vsbusiness
  • Informal
66 7.7

A type of business or industry someone works in

is the neutral term for a person's regular way of earning money

Antonyms

599 2.3

A time when people do not have paid jobs and look for work

90 1.3

Time not spent working when you can relax or do things you enjoy

Idioms

736 2.7

Working to sell things or running a company like a shop

142 5.8

A private matter that does not concern you

Normal work or operations that continue despite problems

59 5.8

Tell someone not to ask about or get involved in other people's lives

to mean business
  • Informal
32 4.6

To show that you are serious and not joking

10 8.2

Do something with very great energy or speed

monkey business
  • Informal
9 4.6

Playful mischief that can include small dishonest acts to trick or amuse people

5 5.9

It does not concern someone and they should not ask about it

An ability to understand and do well in business

Tell someone angrily that they did something wrong

Private things about people that other people do not need to know

A saying that theatre or film work is more exciting, rewarding, and difficult than other jobs

Be aware of other people's private lives

Stay out of other people's private matters and focus on your own

A style that looks formal at the front and casual at the back

Compounds

116 3.2

The world of movies, TV, theatre, and music and the people who work there

115 3.3

Large, powerful companies that influence society and politics

104 2.4

A company owned and run by people from the same family

84 1.0

A small printed card showing a person's name, job, company, and contact details

A school that teaches people how to run or manage companies, often to get an MBA

Work or tasks that are not finished and need attention

A person who is rich and powerful in business

People who run, manage, or own companies

People who own or run companies and shops in an area

A list of items to deal with in a meeting

35 2.4

An agreement between companies or people to exchange goods and services for money

A formal gathering where people talk about work or company matters

Private matters that concern only you

27 5.3

Dishonest or harmful actions by a company and its workers that damage trust

A building where a company does its work, for example selling goods or offering services

A formal agreement between two people or companies to work together

17 1.8

A matching jacket and trousers worn for formal work or important meetings

A senior manager in a company who makes important decisions and leads its work

15 3.4

An industry that finds, produces, and sells oil and fuel

14 2.7

Money that a company borrows from a bank to start or grow

business cycle
  • Specialized
14 3.5

Repeated periods when an economy grows and then shrinks

A business that buys, sells, or rents land and buildings like houses

A central part of a city where most offices and shops are

risky business
  • Informal
13 4.4

An activity that could make you lose a lot of money or get hurt

11 3.1

A person who travels for work and whose employer pays their travel costs

business expense
  • Specialized
11 3.0

A cost you pay while running a business, often needed for work

business news
  • Literature
11 1.6

News about companies, money, and the economy

Doing well in a business, like making money or growing

A type of product or service a company offers

Part of a person's life spent working in business or a job

Part of a country's economy made of companies and groups that sell goods or services

business activity
  • Specialized
8 3.4

Actions done to run a company, like buying, selling or providing services

business end
  • Informal
8 4.7

The part that does the real work, like the sharp end of a knife

Part of the United States government that helps small businesses with loans and advice

An organization that sells goods or services to make a profit

business editor
  • Literature
6 3.0

An editor at a newspaper or magazine who manages business news

A place where people do paperwork and other work for a company

A company that makes and sells computers and parts

A meal, usually at a restaurant, where people discuss work matters

A group that sells things or provides services and has people working in it

The industry that designs, makes, and sells clothes and accessories

A company that sells goods or services to make money

A company that runs regular passenger flights

A company that makes things using machines and workers

A group of similar products or services that a company sells

A college that teaches practical office skills for business, like typing and accounting

An address where a company has its office or is registered

A company that prints books, magazines, and marketing material

A degree you study after a first degree that teaches management and finance

A place where people sell things or offer services, like a shop

2 2.7

A formal letter from one company or person to another about business matters

2 2.8

An industry that makes and sells toys for children

A part of a company that handles one area of work, like sales or marketing

A sale where a shop sells everything at low prices because it is closing

Help for a person or team to improve their work in a company

Ability to lead a company, make important decisions, and guide its people

2 3.2

A company that sells goods or provides services, including its people

A university degree you study after your first degree that teaches how to manage businesses

An amount a business can subtract from its income before paying taxes for money spent running the business

A connection between companies that helps them work together

1 4.0

A person who manages business affairs for employees and represents them to employers

business index
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A number showing how active businesses are in an economy over time

1 5.6

A name a business uses that is not its legal name

A shop or company that sells goods at lower prices than usual

An industry that processes and packs meat for shops

Money a business gets to cover lost income and fixed costs when its work stops after a disaster

A company where the people who work there have most or all the shares

An activity that is risky and has an uncertain result

1 7.9

Small actions an actor does on stage to make the scene feel real

business girl
  • Archaic
1 5.1

A woman who works in business, for example in a company or office

1 7.4

A way of studying and changing how a company works to make it faster, cheaper, and better

1 3.3

A system that uses computers to handle business information for accounting and management

A very successful business decision or deal that brings good results

How Professional

profession
296 3.0
career
∞ 1.8
occupation
100 2.7
business
∞ 1.3
job
∞ 1.0
odd-job
  • UK
26 4.2

Surface Forms

business singular
businesses plural

Morphology

business = busy (semi-transparent) = busy + ness

The noun is built from 'busy' + '-ness'; meaning 'occupation' is a relatively direct extension but still a semantic shift from 'state of being occupied'.

Etymology

Business comes from busy ('occupied') and -ness ('state'), so it originally meant the work someone does. That's why business can mean a person's job or profession.