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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

business.

A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈbɪz.nɪs//ˈbɪz.nɪz//ˈbɪz.nəs//ˈbɪz.nəz/
  1. A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.

    countable
    I left my father's business.
  2. A person's occupation, work, or trade.

    countable
    He is in the motor and insurance businesses.
    I'm going to Las Vegas on business.
  3. Commercial, industrial, or professional activity.

    uncountable
    He's such a poor cook, I can't believe he's still in business!
    We do business all over the world.
  4. The volume or amount of commercial trade.

    uncountable
    Business has been slow lately.
    They did nearly a million dollars of business over the long weekend.
  5. One's dealings; patronage.

    uncountable
    I shall take my business elsewhere.
  6. Private commercial interests taken collectively.

    uncountable
    This proposal will satisfy both business and labor.
  7. The management of commercial enterprises, or the study of such management.

    uncountable
    I studied business at Harvard.
  8. A particular situation or activity.

    countable
    This UFO stuff is a mighty strange business.
  9. Any activity or objective needing to be dealt with; especially, one of a financial or legal matter.

    countable
    Our principal business here is to get drunk.
    Let's get down to business.
  10. Something involving one personally.

    uncountable
    That's none of your business.
    My work is no business of yours.
  11. Matters that come before a body for deliberation or action.

    uncountable
    If that concludes the announcements, we'll move on to new business.
  12. Business class, the class of seating provided by airlines between first class and coach.

    uncountable
  13. Ellipsis of stage business (“aspect of acting”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · countable · ellipsis · uncountable
  14. Hollywood, the entertainment industry.

    countable · informal · uncountable
  15. Prostitution.

    countable · slang · uncountable
  16. A group of ferrets.

    collective · countable · rare
  17. Something very good; top quality.

    UK · countable · slang · uncountable
    These new phones are the business!
  18. The act of defecation, or the excrement itself, particularly that of a non-human animal.

    slang · uncountable
    Your ferret left his business all over the floor.
    As the cart went by, its horse lifted its tail and did its business.
  19. Disruptive shenanigans.

    countable · slang · uncountable
  20. Matters.

    countable · uncountable
    sorry business
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *bisīg Old English bisiġ Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Old English bisiġnes Middle English bisynes English business From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"

adj/ˈbɪz.nɪs//ˈbɪz.nɪz//ˈbɪz.nəs//ˈbɪz.nəz/
  1. Of, to, pertaining to, or used for purposes of conducting trade, commerce, governance, advocacy or other professional purposes.

    Please do not use this phone for personal calls; it is a business phone.
  2. Professional, businesslike, having concern for good business practice.

  3. Supporting business, conducive to the conduct of business.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *bisīg Old English bisiġ Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Old English bisiġnes Middle English bisynes English business From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"

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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.