business-to-business

noun

busi·​ness-to-busi·​ness ˈbiz-nəs-tə-ˈbiz-nəs 

: 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

Email is still the cornerstone of business-to-business (B2B) marketing. —Paula Chiocchi, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Called Verge Next, the new business-to-business division will license Verge's technology to companies that manufacture electric bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, and mopeds. —New Atlas, 25 Apr. 2025

The German company also said in a statement that business-to-business shipments to U.S. companies valued over $800 may face delays, but won’t be otherwise impacted by the service suspension impacting individuals. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025

Other taxes proposed by the governor or Democratic lawmakers this year — like a new 75-cent fee on retail deliveries purchased online and a new 2.5% tax on a larger area of business-to-business services — are not in the final plan. —Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for business-to-business

• agribusiness
• business
• nonbusiness