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Business: Definition, Usage & Key Phrases Explained (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：commercial activity (business)

business 🔊

/ˈbɪznəs/

The activity of making, buying, or selling things or providing services for money. It can also refer to a particular company or organization that does this.

Business meaning illustrated: professional in an office analyzing data on a laptop.

commercial activity 🔊

➕

/kəˈmɜːrʃəl ækˈtɪvəti/

This refers to the occupation or trade of buying, selling, or producing goods and services for profit.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'bisignis' (busyness), from 'bisig' (busy) + '-nis' (state of).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'busy' + 'ness' — business is the state of being busy with trade and profit.

📖 Example

She studied marketing in university because she always wanted to run her own business. 🔊 She studied marketing in university because she always wanted to run her own business.

🔗 Collocations

run a business – To manage and operate a company or commercial enterprise.

do business with – To engage in commercial transactions with a person or organization.

business plan – A formal document outlining a company's goals, strategies, and financial projections.

🔄 Synonyms

commerce (n.) – The activity of buying and selling goods and services on a large scale.

trade (n.) – The action of buying and selling goods and services.

enterprise (n.) – A business or company, especially a new or small one.

🚫 Antonyms

nonprofit (n.) – An organization that does not aim to make a profit.

leisure (n.) – Free time spent not working, opposite of commercial activity.

🌱 Derivatives

businessman (n.) – A man who works in commerce or runs a business.

businesswoman (n.) – A woman who works in commerce or runs a business.

businesslike (adj.) – Efficient and practical in a way typical of business transactions.

📖 Cultural Story

Originally meant 'anxiety' or 'care' in Old English, evolving through 'occupation' in Middle English to 'commercial activity' today. Central to modern entrepreneurship and corporate culture.

Meaning 2：personal concern (business)

business 🔊

/ˈbɪznəs/

A matter, task, or situation that someone needs to deal with or is responsible for. It often refers to personal or private matters.

Business as personal matters: two people having a private conversation on a park bench.

personal concern 🔊

➕

/ˈpɜːrsənl kənˈsɜːrn/

This refers to something that is one's own responsibility or private matter, not to be interfered with by others.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Learning how to cook is my business, and I don't need anyone's constant advice. 🔊 Learning how to cook is my business, and I don't need anyone's constant advice.

🔗 Collocations

none of your business – An expression telling someone that something is private and does not concern them.

mind your own business – A phrase used to tell someone not to interfere in matters that do not involve them.

personal business – Private affairs or matters that relate to an individual alone.

🔄 Synonyms

affair (n.) – An event or sequence of events of a specified kind or that has previously been referred to; often a private matter.

concern (n.) – A matter of interest or importance to someone; a responsibility.

matter (n.) – An affair or situation under consideration; a topic.

🚫 Antonyms

public matter (n.) – An issue that affects or concerns the community or general public.

others' concern (n.) – A matter that belongs to or is the responsibility of another person.