business-to-business

noun

busi·​ness-to-busi·​ness ˈbiz-nəs-tə-ˈbiz-nəs How to pronounce business-to-business (audio)
: a sector of business activity that focuses on commerce performed between businesses rather than between a business and a consumer
a company that specializes in business-to-business
Business-to-business, the sale of goods and services to other companies rather than to the public, has flourished for centuries.Joanne Legomsky
usually used before another noun
Business-to-business sales rose 4.4% from a year earlier, but retail sales increased less than 1%.The Wall Street Journal
business-to-business companies
the business-to-business market
abbreviation B2B

Examples of business-to-business in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The increase is attributed to higher demand and new customers in domestic and international business-to-business sales. Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024 The company’s business-to-business services proved to be the strongest driver of growth, with revenues in that category gaining 11.1 percent. Rhonda Richford, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024 And LinkedIn as well — because LinkedIn’s more business-to-business, which is where David Brent fits in. Ralph Jones, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024 An equal partnership between Goldberg, Kurzweil and Shen, Chemistry will focus on early-stage investments, especially at Series A, in mostly business-to-business startups in areas like fintech, work software and developer and infrastructure tools. Alex Konrad, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for business-to-business 

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of business-to-business was in 1979

Dictionary Entries Near business-to-business

Cite this Entry

“Business-to-business.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/business-to-business. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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