business as usual

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business as usual

/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌæz ˈjuː.ʒu.əl/
/-əz-/
/-nəs-/
/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌæz ˈjuː.ʒuː.əl/ UK
/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌaz ˈjuː.ʒuː.əl/ UK
/-əz-/ UK
/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌæz ˈju.ʒu.əl/ Canada, US
/-əz-/ Canada, US
/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌæz ˈjʉː.ʒʉː.əl/ Australia
/-əz-/ Australia
/ˈbəz.nəs ˌɛz ˈjʉː.ʒʉː.əl/ New Zealand
/-əz-/ New Zealand
/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌaz ˈjʉ.ʒʉ.əl/ Scotland
/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌaz ˈjʉ.ʒʉ.ʌl/ Scotland
/-əz-/ Scotland
/-ʌz-/ Scotland
/ˈbɪz.nɪs ˌa(ː)z ˈjuː.ʒuː.al/ India
/-az-/ India

Where it comes from

Popularized by British statesman, soldier and writer Winston Churchill in 1914 as motto in World War I.

phrase business-as-usual

idiomatic The normal course of an activity, particularly in circumstances that are out of the ordinary. The phase^([sic]) “Business as Usual” ran about the world, and the papers abounded in articles in which going on as though there was no war at all was demonstrated to be the truest form of patriotism. […] “Business as usual during Alterations to the Map of Europe” was the advertisement of one cheerf
idiomatic The normal execution of standard functional operations within an organisation, particularly in contrast to a project or program which would introduce change (although that change may itself become business as usual).

Opposite: whatever it takes

adjective business-as-usual

idiomatic, not comparable That is usual, expected, not extraordinary. This vehicle would be likely to cost about $1,500 more at retail than the business as usual vehicle, which achieves 33 mpg.

Thesaurus

phrase

Opposite: whatever it takes

Translations

Every language

phrase the normal course of an activity, in circumstances that are out of the ordinary

Español	como si nada ocurriera, zona de conflicto, como si tal cosa, más de lo mismo, sin novedad en el frente, lo mismo de siempre
Português	mais do mesmo, o costume
Français	comme si de rien n'était
Deutsch	Tagesgeschäft
Русский	обы́чный поря́док ве́дения дел obýčnyj porjádok védenija del

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MLA

"business as usual." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/business%20as%20usual. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

business as usual. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/business%20as%20usual

Chicago

"business as usual." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/business%20as%20usual.

BibTeX

@misc{business_as_usual_2026,
  title = {business as usual},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/business%20as%20usual},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}