business end

noun

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Definition of business end

: the end with, from, or through which a thing's function is fulfilled

the business end of a revolver

See business end defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of business end from the Web

With 23 Premier League goals and 10 assists already to his name, Salah is comfortably favorite to claim a host of end of season awards even before the season reaches the business end of proceedings.

— SI.com, "Liverpool Aims to Fortify Top-Four Standing vs. Relegation-Threatened Newcastle," 2 Mar. 2018
Emotional end That's the business end of it, which supports the decision to close.

— jim riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Sub Station closes after 33 years in New Berlin as crowded sub-sandwich market claims another victim," 5 June 2018
The Herron School of Art and Design has a new leader Fonseca co-founded the Phoenix Theatre in November 1983 with Michele Stafford, who managed the business end of affairs, according to Indianapolis Star archives.

— domenica bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, "A month after new Phoenix Theatre opens, longtime director Bryan Fonseca leaves his post," 1 June 2018
More than 400 homes and businesses ended up underwater in Sidney, affecting more than 2,000 people.

— christopher flavelle, Bloomberg.com, "America’s Last-Ditch Climate Strategy of Retreat Isn’t Going So Well," 2 May 2018
That's a lot of work, and most bone tools from the same time period aren't nearly so carefully prepared; bone awls and chisels were usually worked just enough to sharpen the business end.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Early Middle-Eastern culture had a thing for gazelle scapula," 1 May 2018
The Enquirer Welcome to March, the business end of the NCAA college basketball season.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "DePaul standing between Xavier basketball, outright Big East championship," 2 Mar. 2018
Lawson tends to the business end of things full time while Higdon holes up seven days a week in her first-floor studio, which is stocked with a Steinway baby grand piano, a Yamaha keyboard and a computer.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "New concerto shines a spotlight on the CSO's fabled low brass choir," 16 Jan. 2018
The 30,000-square-foot building at 2201 E. 46th St. is becoming a home for early-stage electricians, plumbers and other types of service providers that are good at performing work, but perhaps not as good at handling the business end.

— james briggs, Indianapolis Star, "Briggs: This Broad Ripple warehouse could help fix the hellscape of home service contractors," 6 Apr. 2018

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