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mean business

 - 5 dictionary results
Business
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busi⋅ness

  [biz-nis]
Use mean business in a Sentence
–noun
1. an occupation, profession, or trade: His business is poultry farming.
2. the purchase and sale of goods in an attempt to make a profit.
3. a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.
4. volume of trade; patronage: Most of the store's business comes from local families.
5. 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.
6. that with which a person is principally and seriously concerned: Words are a writer's business.
7. something with which a person is rightfully concerned: What they are doing is none of my business.
8. affair; project: We were exasperated by the whole business.
9. an assignment or task; chore: It's your business to wash the dishes now.
10. Also called piece of business, stage business. Theater. a movement or gesture, esp. a minor one, used by an actor to give expressiveness, drama, detail, etc., to a scene or to help portray a character.
11. excrement: used as a euphemism.
–adjective
12. of, noting, or pertaining to business, its organization, or its procedures.
13. containing, suitable for, or welcoming business or commerce: New York is a good business town.
—Idioms
14. business is business, profit has precedence over personal considerations: He is reluctant to fire his friend, but business is business.
15. do one's business, (usually of an animal or child) to defecate or urinate: housebreaking a puppy to do his business outdoors.
16. get down to business, to apply oneself to serious matters; concentrate on work: They finally got down to business and signed the contract.
17. give someone the business, Informal.
a. to make difficulties for someone; treat harshly: Instead of a straight answer they give him the business with a needless run-around.
b. to scold severely; give a tongue-lashing to: The passengers will give the bus driver the business if he keeps driving so recklessly.
18. have no business, to have no right: You have no business coming into this house.
19. mean business, to propose to take action or be serious in intent; be in earnest: By the fire in his eye we knew that he meant business.
20. mind one's own business, to refrain from meddling in the affairs of others: When he inquired about the noise coming from the neighbor's apartment, he was told to mind his own business.
Origin:
bef. 950; ME; OE bisignes. See busy, -ness

Synonyms:
1. calling, vocation, employment. See occupation. 2. commerce, trade, traffic. 3. company, firm.

Pronunciation note:
See isn't.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mean business
Business
Our Lawyers Will Work Hard For You Call for Legal Advice: 818-246-6750
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Home Based Business NO Parties NO Inventory
www.DesignYourLife2010.com
mean 1   (mēn)   
v.   meant (měnt), mean·ing, means

v.   tr.

    1. To be used to convey; denote: "'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things'" (Lewis Carroll).

    2. To act as a symbol of; signify or represent: In this poem, the budding flower means youth.

  2. To intend to convey or indicate: "No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous" (Henry Adams).

  3. To have as a purpose or an intention; intend: I meant to go running this morning, but I overslept.

  4. To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end: a building that was meant for storage; a student who was meant to be a scientist.

  5. To have as a consequence; bring about: Friction means heat.

  6. To have the importance or value of: The opinions of the critics meant nothing to him. She meant so much to me.

v.   intr.
To have intentions of a specified kind; be disposed: They mean well but lack tact.

[Middle English menen, from Old English mǣnan, to tell of; see mei-no- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
mean business

  1. tv.
    to be very, very serious. : Stop laughing! I mean business.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

business 
O.E. bisignisse (Northumbrian) "care, anxiety," from bisig "careful, anxious, busy, occupied" (see busy) + -ness. Sense of "work, occupation" is first recorded 1387. Sense of "trade, commercial engagements" is first attested 1727. Modern two-syllable pronunciation is 17c. Business card first attested 1840.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

mean business

Be in earnest. For example, He really means business with this deadline. This idiom uses business in the sense of "a serious endeavor." [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Create & Sustain "NEW" in Business
www.robertsrulesofinnovation.com
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