business-to-business

noun

busi·​ness-to-busi·​ness
: a sector of business activity that focuses on commerce performed between businesses rather than between a business and a consumer
a company that specializes in business-to-business
Business-to-business, the sale of goods and services to other companies rather than to the public, has flourished for centuries.Joanne Legomsky
usually used before another noun
Business-to-business sales rose 4.4% from a year earlier, but retail sales increased less than 1%.The Wall Street Journal
business-to-business companies
the business-to-business market
abbreviation B2B

Examples of business-to-business in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There was nothing about business-to-business, no non-profit, none of that. The Arizona Republic, 22 July 2023 David broke down Hearst's sustainability strategy, a three-prong approach: educating the public, lowering our carbon emissions, and business-to-business (B2B) solutions that enable other corporations to achieve their climate goals. Abigail Bailey, Good Housekeeping, 31 July 2023 Xumo Enterprise, the company’s business-to-business arm, will handle distribution of NBCU’s new FAST channels on third-party services (starting with Freevee). Todd Spangler, Variety, 29 June 2023 The company negotiates business-to-business shipments for companies with freight to move, matching them with carriers that have the capacity to move them. Joseph Powell, The Enquirer, 7 June 2023 That bill was considerably watered down before it was signed, with companies not being obliged to sell individual parts, and business-to-business and business-to-government electronics sales not being included. Marco Marcelline, PCMAG, 26 May 2023 Known as the Pulitzer Prizes of business-to-business journalism, the Neal Awards recognize editorial excellence. IEEE Spectrum, 1 May 2023 But Carpenter’s bill does not have carve-outs for those spending areas — instead exempting business-to-business transactions from the new tax. Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Mar. 2023 The sanctioning body and series have provided NTTwith valuable opportunities for brand awareness, client engagement, and a range of business-to-business (B2B) initiatives while spearheading a digital transformation within the industry. Bruce Martin, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'business-to-business.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of business-to-business was in 1979

Dictionary Entries Near business-to-business

Cite this Entry

“Business-to-business.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/business-to-business. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

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