business

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business

/ˈbɪz.nɪs/
/ˈbɪz.nɪz/
/ˈbɪz.nəs/
/ˈbɪz.nəz/
/ˈbɪz.nɪs/ Southern US
/ˈbɪd.nɪs/ Southern US

Rhymes with -ɪznɪs, -ɪznɪz, -ɪznəs, -ɪznəz, -ɪdnəs, -ɪdnəz

Where it comes from

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"

noun businesses · biz · bisoness · businesse · busynesse · bizness

countable A specific commercial enterprise or establishment. I left my father's business.
Similar: business, company, enterprise, firm
countable A person's occupation, work, or trade. He is in the motor and insurance businesses.
uncountable Commercial, industrial, or professional activity. He's such a poor cook, I can't believe he's still in business!
uncountable The volume or amount of commercial trade. Business has been slow lately.
uncountable One's dealings; patronage. I shall take my business elsewhere.
uncountable Private commercial interests taken collectively. This proposal will satisfy both business and labor.
uncountable The management of commercial enterprises, or the study of such management. I studied business at Harvard.
countable A particular situation or activity. This UFO stuff is a mighty strange business.
countable Any activity or objective needing to be dealt with; especially, one of a financial or legal matter. Our principal business here is to get drunk.
uncountable Something involving one personally. That's none of your business.
Similar: affair
uncountable Matters that come before a body for deliberation or action. If that concludes the announcements, we'll move on to new business.
uncountable Business class, the class of seating provided by airlines between first class and coach. Gates, who always flew business or coach, didn't particularly like the high air fares Nishi was charging to Microsoft,[…]
abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of stage business (“aspect of acting”). The business with the hat is a fine example of the difficulty of distinguishing between 'natural' and 'formal' acting.
countable, informal, uncountable, with the Hollywood, the entertainment industry.
countable, slang, uncountable, with the Prostitution.
collective, countable, rare A group of ferrets. I'm sure his goons will go through the ship like a business of ferrets, and they'll want to look in our baggage.
Similar: fesnyng
UK, countable, slang, uncountable, with the Something very good; top quality. These new phones are the business!
slang, uncountable The act of defecation, or the excrement itself, particularly that of a non-human animal. Your ferret left his business all over the floor.
countable, slang, uncountable Disruptive shenanigans.
countable, uncountable Matters. sorry business

adjective biz · bisoness · businesse · busynesse · bizness · bidness

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.
Professional, businesslike, having concern for good business practice. He is thoroughly business, but has the happy faculty of transacting it in a genial and courteous manner.
Supporting business, conducive to the conduct of business. Amiens is a thoroughly business town, the business being chiefly with the flax-works.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: mercantile, clientele, occupation, patronage, commercial, stage business, byplay, concern, line, business concern, business enterprise, business organization, business sector, commercial enterprise, commercially, biz

Translations

Every language

noun commercial enterprise or establishment

Español	empresa, negocio, negociado, bisnes
한국어	사업 sa'eop, 기업 gieop, 업무 eommu
日本語	事業 jigyō, 企業 kigyō
中文	事業 /事业 shìyè, 企業 /企业 qǐyè
हिन्दी	व्यापार vyāpār, व्यवसाय vyavasāy, वाणिज्य vāṇijya
Kiswahili	biashara
Português	negócio, empresa
Français	entreprise, firme, compagnie
Deutsch	Geschäft, Unternehmen, Firma
Italiano	azienda, compagnia
Ελληνικά	επιχείρηση epicheírisi, εταιρεία etaireía, εταιρία etairía
Română	întreprindere, firmă, companie
Русский	предприя́тие predprijátije, би́знес bíznɛs, компа́ния kompánija, фи́рма fírma
Tiếng Việt	doanh nghiệp, doanh thương
العربية	شَرِكَة šarika
עברית	עֵסֶק ések

noun occupation, work or trade of a person

Español	negocio, asunto, bolado
한국어	직업 jigeop, 업무 eommu
日本語	商売 shōbai, 取引 torihiki, 商い akinai, 業務 gyōmu
中文	商業 /商业 shāngyè
हिन्दी	व्यापार vyāpār, व्यवसाय vyavsāy, वाणिज्य vāṇijya
Kiswahili	biashara
Português	ramo, trabalho, negócio
Français	affaire
Deutsch	Geschäft
Italiano	lavoro, campo
Română	afacere
Русский	заня́тие zanjátije, рабо́та rabóta
العربية	عَمَل ʕamal, تِجَارَة tijāra, مَشْرُوع mašrūʕ
עברית	עסקים 'asakim

noun commercial, industrial or professional activity

Español	negocio
한국어	매매 maemae
日本語	売買 baibai
中文	買賣 /买卖 mǎimài
हिन्दी	वाणिज्यिक vāṇijyik
Kiswahili	biashara
Português	negócio
Français	négoce
Deutsch	Geschäft
Italiano	affari
Română	afacere, negoț
Русский	би́знес bíznɛs, де́ло délo

noun volume or amount of commercial trade

日本語	景気 keiki
Kiswahili	biashara

noun patronage

العربية	رِعَايَة riʕāya

noun private commercial interests taken collectively

Kiswahili	biashara

noun management of commercial enterprises

Kiswahili	biashara

noun particular situation or activity

Русский	де́ло délo, заня́тие zanjátije
עברית	עִנְיָן 'inyán

noun objective or a matter needing to be dealt with

עברית	עִנְיָן 'inyán

noun something involving one personally

Español	asunto, incumbencia, afer, aferes, bisnes
Deutsch	Angelegenheit
Русский	де́ло délo
עברית	עִנְיָן 'inyán

noun business class

Kiswahili	biashara

noun collective noun for a group of ferrets

Kiswahili	biashara

noun slang: excrement

Deutsch	Geschäft

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Cite this

MLA

"business." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/business. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

business. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/business

Chicago

"business." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/business.

BibTeX

@misc{business_2026,
  title = {business},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/business},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}