Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
business end

business end

4 4.7
The part that does the real work, like the sharp end of a knife
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : parte práctica
  • Both of you seem to be handling the business end of things pretty well, especially now that Mrs. K's in the kitchen.
  • handle the business end
  • run the business end
  • business end of things

Examples

  • She's been handling the business end for me.

    Selena (1997)

  • What about the business end of it?

    Blog text (30)

  • And what happens here is just the business end of this process.

  • Now, this is the business end.

    Shoot 'Em Up (2007)

  • The business end takes a lot of my time, and I also teach.

    Blog text (21)

  • I'm the business end of this company.

    The Social Network (2010)

  • One reason it's tough is that I have an agent who handles the business end.

    Blog text (29)

  • "Dad and Ruth Ann run the business end," Nation explained.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Luck, talent, and perseverance are self-explanatory, but the business end is more complex.

    Blog text (21)

  • The manager said that the business end of the project requires careful planning and execution.

Surface Forms

business end singular
business ends plural

Morphology

business + end

The meaning is partly compositional: a learner who knows 'business' (practical/important activity) and 'end' (part or point) can infer a sense like 'the part where the important activity happens.' However, the exact nuance ('most serious or effective part') is somewhat metaphorical and idiomatic, so full understanding of typical uses requires exposure beyond just the constituent meanings.

Etymology

Business end comes from the image of a tool or weapon: the business is the work and the end is the part that does it, like the sharp blade of a knife or the front of a gun. That's why it now means the 'important or active part' of something.