business noun
1 buying and selling of goods
ADJ. big | profitable | private | core It's time to focus on the company's core business. | retail, wholesale | catering, computer, investment, etc.
VERB + BUSINESS carry on (often law), conduct, do, transact a company that has ceased to carry on business He's someone I can do business with (= that I find it easy/pleasant to do business with). | work in She works in the computer business. | go into, set up in | go out of The firm went out of business during the recession. | put sb/sth out of The new regulations will put many small firms out of business.
BUSINESS + NOUN deal, transaction | meeting | lunch | trip | community | executive, manager, partner | contact | affairs, interests, matters | investment | secret protecting business secrets | plan | acumen | card | hours You can call the helpline during normal business hours. | school | studies | park The company's offices are located in the new business park out of town.
PREP. in ~ He's in business. What business are you in? (figurative) All we need is a car and we'll be in business (= we'll have everything we need to start what we want to do). | on ~ going to Paris on business
PHRASES business as usual (= things will continue as normal in spite of a difficult situation) It's business as usual at the factory, even while investigators sift through the bomb wreckage. | business or pleasure Is the trip to Rome business or pleasure? | mix business with pleasure When I travel abroad I like to mix business with pleasure. | a place of business
2 amount of trade done
ADJ. brisk, good Business was brisk and they had sold out by midday. | bad, slack, slow
VERB + BUSINESS drum up, generate She's in Europe drumming up business for her new company. | tout for insurance salesmen touting for business | lose We're losing business to our main rivals.
BUSINESS + VERB boom Business is booming for estate agents in the south as the property market hots up. | pick up After a slack period business is now picking up.
3 firm/shop
ADJ. large, medium-sized, small | family | international, local | private | state-owned | profitable, successful | mail order, retail, wholesale
VERB + BUSINESS have, own | manage, run It was always my dream to run my own business. | set up, start They decided to start their own business. | build up We built up the business from nothing. | work in He works in the family business. | take over | expand, grow We are looking to grow the business over the next couple of years. | join, leave
BUSINESS + VERB do/go well, take off After six months the business really took off. | expand, grow The business is expanding fast. | collapse, fail
BUSINESS + NOUN assets, premises | failure > Note at ORGANIZATION
4 work/responsibility
ADJ. daily
VERB + BUSINESS go about market traders going about their daily business | make sth I shall make it my business to find out who is responsible.
PHRASES have no business doing sth/to do sth You have no business (= no right) being here. | mind your own business (= think about your own affairs and not try to get involved in other people's) ‘What are you reading?’ ‘Mind your own business!’ I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when a man started shouting at me. | none of your business/no business of yours My private life is none of your business (= does not concern you).
5 important matters
ADJ. private | important, pressing, urgent | unfinished We've got some unfinished business to discuss.
VERB + BUSINESS get down to OK, let's get down to business. | deal with, discuss, talk I'm not going to talk business tonight.
PHRASES any other business (= items discussed at the end of a meeting) I think we've finished item four. Now, is there any other business?
6 situation/event
ADJ. whole I'll be glad when the whole business is over and done with. | awful, bad, dreadful, terrible It was an awful business?he couldn't work for months. | funny, strange
You can also check other dicts: business (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition