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mean business

mean busi·ness
M m

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [meen biz-nis]
    • /min ˈbɪz nɪs/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [meen biz-nis]
    • /min ˈbɪz nɪs/

Definitions of mean business words

  • noun mean business an occupation, profession, or trade: His business is poultry farming. 1
  • noun mean business the purchase and sale of goods in an attempt to make a profit. 1
  • noun mean business a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern. 1
  • noun mean business volume of trade; patronage: Most of the store's business comes from local families. 1
  • noun mean business a building or site where commercial work is carried on, as a factory, store, or office; place of work: His business is on the corner of Broadway and Elm Street. 1
  • noun mean business that with which a person is principally and seriously concerned: Words are a writer's business. 1
See all 21 definitions of mean business

Information block about the term

Origin of mean business

First appearance:

before 950
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 950; Middle English; Old English bisignes. See busy, -ness

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Mean business

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Mean business

mean business popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

mean business usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for mean business

adj mean business

  • determined — If you are determined to do something, you have made a firm decision to do it and will not let anything stop you.
  • earnest — serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker.
  • for real — true; not merely ostensible, nominal, or apparent: the real reason for an act.
  • hard as nails — tough, durable
  • inexorable — unyielding; unalterable: inexorable truth; inexorable justice.

adjective mean business

  • hardboiled — Alternative spelling of hard-boiled.
All 7 Synonyms of mean business

See also

Matching words

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