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Business Word/Phrase of the Day

word-phrase-descEvery day we publish a business word or phrase together with audio pronunciation, phonetics, definition and example sentences. This is a great way to improve your workplace vocabulary as well as your pronunciation. To receive 'Business Word/Phrase of the Day' by email, just subscribe to our newsletter from the link above. 

IN THE RED  

16 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to be losing money, to be unprofitable.
Example Sentence: The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.
 

IN THE LOOP  

15 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to be involved or to take part in a job.
Example Sentence: I began to work in the evenings and I was no longer in the loop at our company.
 

IN THE BLACK  

14 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable.
Example Sentence: The new company has been in the black for many years now.
 

IN BLACK AND WHITE  

13 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • in writing.
Example Sentence: The company refused to deal with the customer's complaints until they were put in black and white.
 

HOLD A MEETING  

12 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to conduct a meeting.
Example Sentence: We plan to hold a meeting next week to discuss the problems with our new product.
 

HEADS WILL ROLL  

11 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • someone will be punished.
Example Sentence: Heads will roll when our boss learns about the money that we have lost.
 

HAVE THE FLOOR  

10 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to have permission to speak in a meeting
Example Sentence: The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.
 

TO HAVE A STAKE IN (SOMETHING)  

09 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to have part ownership of a company or other business.
Example Sentence: The large oil company has a stake in the new oil exploration company.
 

GO PUBLIC goʊ pʌblɪk

08 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to become a public company and to sell the company.
Example Sentence: The stock of the Internet company rose very quickly after the company went public.
 

GO OVER THE BOOKS  

07 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to check and analyze the accounting records of a company.
Example Sentence: We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.
 

GO BELLY UP  

06 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to go out of business because of financial problem.
Example Sentence: The small computer company went belly up several months ago.
 

GET A BREAK  

05 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to get an opportunity or good deal.
Example Sentence: We were able to get a break on the price of the paint and we saved a lot of money.
 

FLOAT (SOMEONE) A LOAN  

04 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to loan someone money.
Example Sentence: I asked the bank to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.
 

FIT THE BILL  

03 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to be just what is needed.
Example Sentence: The new machine should fit the bill for what we need to finish the job.
 

FIGURE OUT (SOMETHING) fɪgər aʊt

02 Apr 2025

Phrase

  • to find an answer by thinking about something.
Example Sentence: Everyone is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new product.
 
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