Business I Extra Work Examples Start Good ˈbɪznəs

• it's been a pleasure to do business with you.
• there will be some changes to the way we conduct business.
• she has set up in business as a hairdresser.
• when he left school, he went into business with his brother.

business

1. the activity of making, buying, selling or supplying goods or services for money
• SYNONYM commerce
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/commerce
• It's been a pleasure to do business with you.
• There will be some changes to the way we conduct business.
• She has set up in business as a hairdresser.
• When he left school, he went into business with his brother.
• the music/entertainment/movie business
• the insurance/banking business
• the food/restaurant/hotel business
• Retail is a tough business.
• She works in the software business.
• We need to concentrate on our core business (= the main thing that our business does).
• business owners/leaders
• a business partner
• the business community
• business opportunities/interests/ventures
• the business cycle/sector/world

Extra Examples

• He argues that tax cuts will help business.
• He spent his whole life in the insurance business.
• He wore a business suit.
• He's someone I can do business with.
• I'm not going to talk business tonight.
• It was purely a business decision.
• It's good business practice to listen to your customers.
• It's time to focus on the company's core business.
• Nobody understands the music business better than him.
• They developed a lasting business relationship.
• We're not trying to educate—we're in the entertainment business.
• What business are you in?
• a conference of women business leaders
• the city's main business district
• to protect business secrets
• Falling prices are wreaking havoc in the oil business.
• Going to trade fairs is a good way of developing business contacts.
• She has business interests all over the world.
• a business investment
• They were both in the same line of business.
2. work that is part of your job
• Is the trip to Rome for business or pleasure?
• a business trip/meeting/lunch
• business travel/travellers
• He's away on business.

Extra Examples

• The average business trip lasts 2.5 days.
• When I travel abroad I like to mix business with pleasure.
• It was not his habit to discuss his business affairs with strangers.
• I'm going to Paris on business.
• Meals are considered a business expense.
• The restaurant is every executive's favourite place for a business lunch.
3. 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.
• How's business?
• Uncertainty is bad for business.
• to be good for business
• If we close down for repairs, we’ll lose business.

Extra Examples

• After a slack period business is now picking up.
• Business has slowed considerably in recent months.
• Business is booming for estate agents in the south as the property market hots up.
• Business is booming for the big pharmaceutical companies.
• Business was brisk and they had sold out by midday.
• Cheap imports are hurting business for domestic producers.
• insurance salesmen touting for business
• Stores are doing brisk business in wizard accessories and vampire kits.
• They're doing good business in Asia.
• She's in Europe drumming up business for her new company.
• Supermarkets are doing more online business.
• a company that has ceased to carry on business
• We took on temporary staff to handle the extra business.
• They've cut their rates to attract new business.
• We're losing business to our main rivals.
• Our repeat business (= customers who come back to buy from us again) is 50% or higher.
4. 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.
• a successful/profitable business
• a retail/an online business
• to run/start a business
• to grow/expand/build a business
• He wanted to expand the export side of the business.
• We're looking for new business premises.

Extra Examples

• After leaving school she entered the family business.
• After six months the business really took off.
• He left the department to start his own business.
• He owns a management consulting business based in Santa Barbara.
• It was always my dream to run my own business.
• She had her own hairdressing business.
• She runs a successful online business.
• The business is expanding fast.
• The family owns a booming construction business.
• These laws make life more difficult for legitimate businesses.
• They decided to start their own business.
• Traditional businesses are having to compete with the internet.
• We built up the business from nothing.
• loans for people to start new businesses
• Almost all businesses will be closed on Christmas Day.
• I've decided to start my own business.
• This legislation will hurt small businesses.
• We are looking to grow the business over the next couple of years.
• They've got a small catering business.
5. 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).
• It's no business of hers who I invite to the party.
• Keep your nose out of my business!
6. important matters that need to be dealt with or discussed
• He has some unfinished business to deal with.
• the main business of the meeting
• They should leave the business of making policy to the experts.

Extra Examples

• This isn't a social call—I've come on official business.
• We have some unfinished business to discuss.
• Jack and I finished our business early, so we went to lunch.
• He needs time and space to get on with the real business of writing.
7. 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.

Extra Examples

• Having fun is a serious business.
• Changing your life can be a risky business.
• It was a bad business—he couldn't work for months.
• I'll be glad when the whole business is over and done with.
• I'm just glad to be out of the whole dirty business.
8. the fact of a person or people buying goods or services at a shop or business
• We're grateful for your business.
9. the things that are discussed at the end of an official meeting that do not appear on the agenda
• SEE ALSO AOB
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/aob
• I think we've finished item four. Now is there any other business?
10. to be very good
11. 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.
12. to regard a particular activity as an essential part of what you do
• Restaurant owners everywhere are in the business of building relationships.
13. 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.
14. a way of saying that financial and commercial matters are the important things to consider and you should not be influenced by friendship, etc.
15. 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.
16. to do the things that you normally do
• streets filled with people going about their daily business
• market traders going about their daily business
17. to have no right to do something
• You have no business being here.
18. very much, very fast, very well, etc.
• I've been working like nobody's business to get it finished in time.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. to look for customers, passengers, etc. in order to do business
• taxis plying for hire outside the theatre

Word Origin

• Old English bisignis ‘anxiety’ (see busy, -ness); the sense ‘state of being busy’ was used from Middle English down to the 18th cent., but is now differentiated as busyness. The use ‘appointed task’ dates from late Middle English, and from it all the other current senses have developed.