📒 the activity of making, buying, selling or supplying goods or services for money
- It's been a pleasure to do business with you.
- There will be some changes to the way we conduct business.
- in business She has set up in business as a hairdresser.
📒 work that is part of your job
- Is the trip to Rome for business or pleasure?
- a business trip/meeting/lunch
- business travel/travellers
📒 the amount of work done by a company, etc.; the rate or quality of this work
- Business is booming.
- Business was bad.
- Her job was to drum up (= increase) business.
📒 a commercial organization such as a company, shop or factory
- an organization that represents small businesses
- She works in the family business.
- We try to support local businesses.
📒 something that a particular person or organization is responsible for
- 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 (= not something that you need to know about).
📒 important matters that need to be dealt with or discussed
- He has some unfinished business to deal with.
- the main business of the meeting
- business of doing something They should leave the business of making policy to the experts.
📒 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.
📒 the fact of a person or people buying goods or services at a shop or business
- We're grateful for your business.
📒 the things that are discussed at the end of an official meeting that do not appear on the agenda
- I think we've finished item four. Now is there any other business?
📒 to be very good
📒 to have everything that you need in order to be able to start something immediately
- All we need is a car and we'll be in business.
📒 to regard a particular activity as an essential part of what you do
- Restaurant owners everywhere are in the business of building relationships.
📒 a way of saying that things will continue as normal despite a difficult situation
- It's business as usual at the factory, even while investigators sift through the bomb wreckage.
📒 a way of saying that financial and commercial matters are the important things to consider and you should not be influenced by friendship, etc.
📒 to start dealing with the matter that needs to be dealt with, or doing the work that needs to be done
- Let’s get down to business right away—we’ll stop for coffee later.
- OK, let's get down to business.
📒 to do the things that you normally do
- streets filled with people going about their daily business
- market traders going about their daily business
📒 to have no right to do something
- You have no business being here.
📒 very much, very fast, very well, etc.
- I've been working like nobody's business to get it finished in time.
📒 to be serious in your intentions
- He has the look of a man who means business.
- He says he's going to make changes, and I think he means business.
📒 to think about your own affairs and not ask questions about or try to get involved in other people’s lives
- ‘What are you reading?’ ‘Mind your own business!’
- I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when a man started shouting at me.
📒 not to be intending to do something (which it would be surprising for you to do)
- I'm not in the business of getting other people to do my work for me.
📒 having stopped operating as a business because there is no more money or work available
- The new regulations will put many small businesses out of business.
- Some travel companies will probably go out of business this summer.
- The company went out of business during the recession.
📒 to look for customers, passengers, etc. in order to do business
- taxis plying for hire outside the theatre