business
business — noun
1. the general activity of trading — that is, making, selling, or supplying product
the general activity of trading — that is, making, selling, or supplying products and services in order to earn money.
Maya wants to study business at a university in Taipei next year.
uncountable: study business
Marcus has worked in the coffee business for nearly twenty years.
in the [field] business
Our small bakery does most of its business with local schools and offices.
Lina dreams of running her own clothing business one day.
The new tax rules have made business much harder for small farmers.
文法句型
in business
do business with
用法筆記
Uncountable in this sense — never 'a business' or 'businesses' for the activity itself; that meaning is sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. one particular organisation — a firm, shop, or workshop, for example — whose pur
one particular organisation — a firm, shop, or workshop, for example — whose purpose is to make or sell things, or to provide a paid service.
Carlos runs a small business that repairs old motorbikes near the harbour.
run a small business
The Watanabe family has owned this noodle business for four generations.
own a [type] business
After the flood, several local businesses had to close for good.
Lina set up an online business selling handmade soap from her kitchen.
The bank lends money to small businesses that need to buy new equipment.
- company
near-equivalent; 'company' is more formal and is the standard word for a registered firm
- firm
often a professional partnership (law firm, accounting firm)
- enterprise
more formal; often suggests something newly set up or ambitious
文法句型
run a business
a small/family/online business
用法筆記
Countable — takes 'a/an' and a plural in '-es'. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether you can replace 'business' with 'company' (sense 2) or with 'trade'/'commercial activity' (sense 1).
常見錯誤
3. the paid work or job that someone does, especially when this work involves deali
the paid work or job that someone does, especially when this work involves dealing with other people or travelling.
Dr. Tanaka is in Singapore on business until Friday evening.
on business (purpose of travel)
Lina insists on talking business at every family dinner, much to her brother's annoyance.
talk business (= discuss work matters)
Marcus travels to Asia on business almost every month these days.
Sarah wishes the boring business of filing tax forms could be someone else's job.
文法句型
on business
what's your business?
用法筆記
Often appears in fixed phrases: 'on business' (purpose of a trip), 'business trip', 'business hours'. The traveller meaning is the most frequent realisation of this sense.
常見錯誤
4. how much a shop or company is selling, or how many customers it has — for exampl
how much a shop or company is selling, or how many customers it has — for example whether sales are going up, down, or staying steady.
Business has been very slow at the restaurant since the highway opened.
business is slow / good / bad
The bookshop lost a lot of business when a bigger store opened nearby.
lose business to a competitor
We really value your business and hope to see you again soon.
Tourists from Japan bring most of the business to Carlos's surf school.
After the festival, business at the night market was the best in years.
文法句型
lose business
business is good/bad/slow
用法筆記
Uncountable. Often the subject of 'is' + an evaluative adjective ('business is brisk/slow/booming'). 'Take your business elsewhere' means to spend your money at another shop.
常見錯誤
5. a particular event or situation, especially one that you find odd, unpleasant, o
a particular event or situation, especially one that you find odd, unpleasant, or hard to deal with — used when giving an opinion about it.
This whole business with the missing keys is starting to worry me.
this whole business with...
Marcus called the divorce a sad business that nobody had wanted.
a [adj] business
Lina found packing up her grandmother's house a slow, painful business.
The mayor described the leaked emails as a very strange business indeed.
文法句型
a strange/messy/serious business
用法筆記
Almost always singular with a determiner ('this/that/the/a + adjective + business'). Distinguish from sense 6 (something that concerns or belongs to a person): sense 5 labels a situation as a whole, while sense 6 talks about whose responsibility it is.
常見錯誤
6. the things, problems, or decisions that belong to one particular person and that
the things, problems, or decisions that belong to one particular person and that other people have no right to ask about.
How much Lina earns is her own business, not the neighbours' gossip.
[possessive] own business
Aunt Rosa kept poking into Marcus's business until he finally lost his temper.
poke into someone's business
Carlos politely told the reporter that his health was no business of hers.
Whether the children go to summer camp is really the parents' business.
文法句型
my/your/his/their business
no business of yours
用法筆記
Frequently used to push back against a question or criticism, often with 'own', 'no', or 'none of': 'my own business', 'no business of yours', 'none of your business'. Distinguish from sense 5 — here the focus is on rights and responsibility, not on labelling a situation.
常見錯誤
7. small physical actions that an actor performs on stage — for example, slowly pol
small physical actions that an actor performs on stage — for example, slowly polishing a glass or fumbling with a hat — to make a scene feel real or to show what a character is like.
The director gave the lead actor some funny business with a broken umbrella.
[adj] business with a [prop]
Most of the comedy comes from the clown's silent business with a tiny chair.
stage / comic business
Dr. Tanaka, our drama teacher, calls these tiny gestures 'stage business'.
The young actress invented some lovely business while pouring her morning tea.
- stage business
the full technical term; 'business' alone is shorthand among theatre people
- shtick
informal; a comic actor's signature bit of stage action
文法句型
stage business
comic business
用法筆記
Specialist theatre/film vocabulary; learners will more often meet the full phrase 'stage business'. Almost always uncountable and used with an adjective ('comic', 'silent', 'funny') or with a prop.