BUSINESSES Synonyms: 187 Similar and Opposite Words

businesses

noun

plural of business

as in companies

a commercial or industrial activity or organization most of the local businesses belong to the association

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Relevance

as in things

something to be dealt with we have one piece of business remaining for today's meeting

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as in jobs

the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists plants going about the business of photosynthesis provide the Earth with a renewable source of oxygen

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as in areas

a region of activity, knowledge, or influence if you want a medical malpractice lawyer, he's the best in the business

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as in missions

a specific task with which a person or group is charged the interrogators demanded to know what business the suspect had in the restricted area at that time of night

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as in betrayals

the act or fact of violating the trust or confidence of another the price for giving the drug lord the business was certain death

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of businesses Wealthy foreigners put hundreds of thousands of dollars into real estate or businesses, and governments gave them a foothold abroad. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026 The Kremlin, meanwhile, has placed the onus on private businesses to protect their critical infrastructure from Ukrainian drone attacks. — Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 The money, the proposal said, would recruit businesses to partner with Hope Florida and raise awareness. — Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 From Mexican carnicerías and halal markets to African grocers and Eastern European delis, these businesses provide access to ingredients, traditions and flavors that can be difficult to find elsewhere. — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026 Convenience stores, hotels and other businesses in Puerto Vallarta were boarding up their windows Saturday morning, when few were walking the streets under overcast skies. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 Specifically, the law prohibits municipal governments from requiring businesses to set specific wages, benefits or working conditions under contract, and bars them from forcing businesses to join task forces formed to address those issues. — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 Chinese officials and businesses have raised concerns over reports some EU members are pushing for new measures to protect local industries. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 Her creative efforts for the drive in included a 2020 showing of Willy Wonka and Chocolate Factory where golden tickets were hidden at local Cranford businesses and those that nabbed them earned free admission to the screening. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for businesses

Noun

There’s a reason some of the planet’s oldest companies can be found in Japan.

— Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Culver City’s mix of Hollywood studios, tech companies and available office space is drawing a growing cluster of AI filmmaking startups eager to reshape the industry.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of companies

Noun

Which brings us back to the list of things that lasted longer than Zacharia’s term as White House Press Secretary.

— Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
The wide-leg pants keep things relaxed, and the ruched waist on the knit top adds shape and makes the whole look feel more polished than a standard sweatshirt set.

— Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of things

Noun

The protection of American jobs justified the chains of bondage, or so the argument went.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Engagement is often seen as a metric about sentiment that can be measured and tracked, but is treated as something employees bring—or fail to bring—to their jobs.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of jobs

Noun

Cult members lived in makeshift homes of polythene sheeting and thatch that Mackenzie divided into areas with biblical names like Jerusalem and Judea.

— Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
The bar for engaging in major conflicts outside the core strategic areas of Europe and East Asia should be quite high.

— Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of areas

Noun

This can include missions like delivering combat divers into contested regions.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Flight operations are managed by Lockheed Martin’s MATRIX autonomy system, allowing operators to command missions from a tablet without continuous continuous control or monitoring.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of missions

Noun

Someone to blame Burns knows the cost of Salem’s betrayals about as well as anyone.

— Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
For the last three, Corinealdi’s character, Jax, has maneuvered through family and marital stress, thrived against office politics and betrayals, endured a kidnapping, and nearly faced death before pulling through a coma after a near-fatal shooting.

— DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of betrayals

Noun

The plaintiffs, represented by the law firms Poolson Oden and Grant & Eisenhofer, alleged that Union Pacific failed to provide adequate protective equipment or warn employees about hazardous exposures.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Big tech firms in the US are pouring billions into advanced nuclear power to feed energy-hungry artificial intelligence.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of firms

Noun

This matters because young broiler chickens (chickens raised for meat) require very warm conditions to mature.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
That rinse-clean standard matters for anyone worried about buildup, since a scalp oil that lingers after washing can leave hair looking greasy rather than nourished.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of matters

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business

businesses

businesslike

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Style

“Businesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/businesses. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of businesses

noun

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