mean business

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I was usually the only one in the weights room but Alex and Emmanuel would come in and do work-outs and I remember thinking 'wow, they mean business'.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Drones and anti-drones mean business for a host of defense startups and established players.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

According to local reporting, members said the reason for the act of civil disobedience was to show the casinos that they mean business and that they’re willing to sit down in traffic for a contract.

From Washington Times • Oct. 26, 2023

The memo suggested wearing costumes “inspired by generalized characters and figures” — such as ghosts, zombies or spiders — to show the studios they mean business, even on a holiday.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2023

Math was my specialty—you spend enough time at the cash register and you learn to love numbers, because each and every one means dollars and cents, and enough of those mean business is booming.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda