business | meaning of business in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE

business

busi‧ness

/

ˈbɪznəs

/

noun

COMMERCE

1

[

uncountable

]

the production , buying, and selling of goods or services for profit

Students on the course learn about all aspects of business.

We are

in business

to create profit.

The company says it will never

do business with

the bank again.

Mr Guerlain learned the perfume business in Grasse.

→

see also

repeat business

2

go into business

to start working in the production, buying, and selling of goods or services

She wanted to quit working as a hostess and go into business on her own.

3

go out of business

BANKRUPTCY

to stop operating as a company, usually because of

1,800 furniture store companies went out of business last year.

4

business is business

used to say that profit is the most important thing

With these guys, business is business, and charity and public works are not part of it.

5

[

uncountable

]

the work that you do as part of your job

Adam’s in Argentina

on business

.

Companies are looking hard at the need for many

business trips

.

6

[

countable

]

a person or organization that produces and sells goods or services

Do you want to manage your own business?

She

runs a business

finding and restoring old cars.

He works for a catering business.

7

[

uncountable

]

COMMERCE

the amount of work a company has or is doing

Soon he had so much business he had to subcontract.

The company isn’t doing much business in Japan.

The economy is growing, jobs are plentiful and

business is good

.

The promotional fares are designed to

drum up business

(=

increase it

)

during the slower fall period.

8

[

uncountable

]

work that must be done in a particular job or period of time

We discussed this week’s business.

the routine business of government

9

get down to business

to start dealing with an important subject

He offers juice or tea before getting down to business.

10

business as usual

used to tell you that a shop or business is working normally when you might think it was working in a different way, or was closed

The retailer says it intends to do business as usual during its reorganization.

The market is shut today for Bastille day, but tomorrow it is business as usual.