businesses
BIZ-ni-siz/ˈbɪz.nɪ.sɪz/
- 1Plural of business.
Family-owned businesses line the main street of the old town.
The new tax rules affect businesses across several industries.
Note
A plural that serves only two of the singular's meanings: firms and establishments, and people's trades or occupations. The mass senses (commercial activity, the volume of trade, one's custom, private commerce taken together) have no plural, so business is booming, but businesses are closing. Because the singular ends in a hissing sound, the plural takes -es and gains a syllable.
businesses is a form of business
business, noun: A commercial enterprise or establishment, such as a company or shop. Full entry
- Forms
- businessbusinesses plural
- Spelling
- business → businesses: add -es
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /ɪz/, an extra syllable.
Use it in a sentence
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