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big business

noun
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Definition of big business

1 : an economic group consisting of large profit-making corporations especially with regard to their influence on social or political policy
2 : a very profitable enterprise

Examples of big business in a Sentence

The tax proposal will be of most benefit to big business. Tourism is big business in the region.
Recent Examples on the Web As Beethoven’s 250th birthday approaches, criticism of his music is rare BEETHOVEN’S 250TH birthday is big business. — The Economist, "Prisoner’s dilemma A bold American composer updates “Fidelio”," 9 Jan. 2020 All the spookiness is big business, according to the National Retail Federation. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Halloween 2019: Oct. 31 history, facts; what is Halloween and why do we celebrate it?," 31 Oct. 2019 Lots of people do — so much so that conventions are big business. — Los Angeles Times, "Escapes: Keep the cost of a Santa Barbara trip in check," 3 Oct. 2019 For starters, hard seltzer is big business: Sales of the fruity drink grew 166 percent in 2018, according to Nielsen. — Sarah Kuta, The Know, "Colorado-made hard seltzers competing with trendy White Claw, Truly," 14 Aug. 2019 Cross border remittance is big business in Southeast Asia. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "Thailand-based Velo Says Blockchain Will Revolutionize Remittance in South East Asia," 12 Aug. 2019 The cultivation of the cannabis plant from which the drug is derived is big business. — Mary Schmich, chicagotribune.com, "Marijuana? Cannabis? Weed? Pot? Dope? What do you call that stuff?," 23 July 2019 The sale of smaller parcels, typically 200 acres or less, was big business in Texas last year, topping $1 billion for the second year in a row as strong economic and population growth spurred activity, according to a new report. — Katherine Feser, Houston Chronicle, "Report: Small land sales along Gulf Coast commanding higher prices," 9 July 2019 Whether's its basketball, baseball, hockey or either kind of football — domestic or international versions — sports is big business. — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, "Sports Rights Now Make Up 26 Percent of Global Content Spend," 16 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'big business.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of big business

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Time Traveler for big business

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The first known use of big business was in 1905

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Statistics for big business

Last Updated

23 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Big business.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20business. Accessed 23 January 2020.

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More Definitions for big business

big business

noun

English Language Learners Definition of big business

: large companies considered together as a powerful group
: an activity or product that makes a large amount of money

See the full definition for big business in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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