Word of the Day: Business
Business is any activity that involves an exchange of money for goods (products) or services (labor).
- He’s interested in big business.
- She wants to open her own business.
- Many people go into business for themselves.
Notice the use of the reflexive pronoun in these sentences:
- I went into business for myself.
- You went into business for yourself.
- She went into business for herself.
- They went into business for themselves.
The United States is a country of small and large businesses, so it helps to know how to talk about this subject. Here are things you’ll hear people say:
- Someone is opening a new business.
- They’re starting a business.
- He wants to get into business.
- He wants to be a business man.
- She has her own business.
- She’s a business woman.*
- Let’s do business.
- What kind of business are you in?
- Are they open for business yet?
- It looks like that place is going out of business.
- They lost their business.
- That business failed.
There are many idioms and expressions that use the word “business.”
- There will be no more monkey business. (Stop playing around.)
- That’s none of your business. (This situation does not concern you–stay out of it.)
- Mind your own business. (same as above)
- They have no business doing that. (They shouldn’t be doing that.)
- Where’s the business end of the machine? (Where’s the part of the machine that does the work?)
- Everything is business as usual. (Nothing has changed, or everything is back to normal.)
- This is strictly business. (This situation does not involve personal matters.)
- Let’s get down to business. (Let’s do our work, or let’s now talk about serious matters.)
- That’s show biz. (That’s the way things go. The word “biz” is short for “business.”)
*Note: It’s also common to hear a man or a woman in business described as a business person.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with B page to see the list of all words starting with letter B. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
