business

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   incidental activity performed by an actor for dramatic effect

   The business with the cane was hilarious.

2. 2
   noun

   the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

   he's not in my line of business

3. 3
   noun

   the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects

   computers are now widely used in business

4. 4
   noun

   the volume of commercial activity

   business is good today

5. 5
   noun

   a rightful concern or responsibility

   it's none of your business

6. 6
   noun

   an immediate objective

   gossip was the main business of the evening

7. 7
   noun

   business concerns collectively

   Government and business could not agree

8. 8
   noun

   a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

   They bought their sibling's business.

Etymology

From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"