“Let’s Get Down to Business” Meaning with Helpful Example Sentences

The phrase “let’s get down to business” is one that you will most likely encounter quite frequently in everyday conversation or writing. Here you will find the meaning of this phrase and some information regarding its origin. You will also find examples of how to use the phrase properly in everyday conversation and see some suggestions of alternative ways to say this phrase while still conveying the same meaning.

Let’s Get Down to Business

Let’s Get Down to Business Meaning

The phrase “let’s get down to business” means let’s get serious about a given situation or task and give it the attention it deserves.

Origin of this idiomatic expression

There is little known about the exact origin of this common English idiom. The only thing that is certain is that it most likely originated in the business industry and has been used for many years due to its wide popularity.

“Let’s Get Down to Business” Examples

Examples in Statements

A statement made by a local politician just elected to office.

“The city needs to reconsider its budget due to the mishandling of money by the prior city treasurer. Let’s get down to business people and figure this out.”

A statement made by a celebrity involved in a recent scandal when asked a question during an interview.

“Oh come on! That is not really what you want to ask me, is it? We both know it isn’t! So, let’s just get down to business and address the elephant in the room than shall we?”

Examples in Conversations

A conversation among team members in the office.

Team member 1: It was all Cheryl’s fault that we failed to complete the project on time!
Team member 2: How was it my fault? I was here every day and did everything I was asked to do. If you want to point fingers than you should point at yourself!
Team member 3: Just calm down everyone. We will figure this out. Assigning blame is going to cause nothing but resentment.
Team Leader: He is right. Let’s get down to business so we can fix this problem and not cause a bigger one.

A conversation among students in a classroom.

Student 1: I don’t think we should have to take gym on Mondays.
Student 2: Yeah, its the start of the week and I don’t even wake up fully until it is time to go home.
Student 3: I completely agree. However, we need to think about more important things we can do for the school.
Student 4: As President of the Student Council, I agree! Let’s get down to business! We can come up with much better ideas than no gym on Mondays!

Other examples: