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Glite Dictionary
business letter

business letter

1 2.7
A formal letter from one company or person to another about business matters
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪznəs ˈlɛtər/
  • Formal
translation icon : carta comercial
  • A concise and clear business letter can help to establish a professional relationship with potential clients.
  • write a business letter

Examples

  • According to the survey, moreover, nearly 30 percent of employers questioned doubted their college-graduate employees could write a simple business letter.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Mr. Ripley encouraged Larry to pursue an advanced degree and taught him the importance of crafting a succinct business letter.

    Academic text (2003)

  • This is not a business letter.

    Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)

  • It was a business letter; that much was certain.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Do not allow the casual nature of e-mail to confuse you; this is still a business letter.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The business letter written by emerging adolescents should emphasize proper form, preciseness, clearly written ideas, and quality.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Hoy sat at his grainy, green-stained desk composing a business letter.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Before submitting the proposal, I made sure to write a formal business letter to our partners outlining the key details.

  • She learned how to format a business letter correctly during her training session last week.

Synonyms

letter
vsbusiness letter
∞ 1.0

A written message sent to a person or organization, often by mail

is strictly for formal correspondence between companies or professionals about business
missive
vsbusiness letter
  • Formal
14 8.1

A formal letter that gives important information

is specifically sent between companies or professionals about business matters

How Formal

notice
  • Formal
276 3.4
business letter
  • Formal
1 2.7
memo
341 1.8
note
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

business letter singular
business letters plural

Morphology

business + letter

The meaning 'a formal letter about business matters' is directly and transparently compositional from 'business' (commercial/company) + 'letter' (a written message). This noun+noun combination follows common cross-linguistic patterns for descriptive compounds, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase business letter comes from the simple picture of companies sending a formal paper message about their work. The word business shows it is about company or professional matters and letter is a written message, so it means 'a formal letter sent from one company or professional person to another'.