Meaning & use
success in business
Last updated
Meanings
phraseuncountable
The achievement of financial or professional goals in running a company or working in commerce.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it takes a singular verb and has no plural form.
Patterns
- achieve success in business
- a recipe for success in business
- measure success in business
She attributes her success in business to hard work and good timing.
Many people define success in business simply as making a profit.
The seminar promised to teach the secrets of success in business.
phraseuncountable
The state of being respected or influential in the commercial world.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like 'find', 'enjoy', or 'achieve'.
Patterns
- find success in business
- enjoy success in business
After years of struggle, he finally found success in business.
The family has enjoyed success in business for three generations.
Common combinations
- achieve success in business
- You need more than a good idea to achieve success in business.
- a measure of success in business
- Profit is only one measure of success in business.
- key to success in business
- Adaptability is often the key to success in business.
- success in business depends on
- Success in business depends on understanding your customers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- commercial success
- Commercial success refers specifically to making money, while success in business can also include reputation, growth, or influence.
- prosperity
- Prosperity means general wealth and good fortune, often for a country or group; success in business is more about individual or company achievement.
Opposites
Word family
- successful adjective
- Achieving the results you wanted.
- successfully adverb
- In a way that achieves the desired result.
- businessman noun
- A man who works in business, especially at a senior level.
- businesswoman noun
- A woman who works in business, especially at a senior level.
Commonly confused: success in business or successful in business?
success in business vs successful in business
This is an adjective phrase describing a person or company, while 'success in business' is a noun phrase referring to the achievement itself.
Practice
For many entrepreneurs, ______ in business means creating something that lasts.
Choose one answer.
'Success' is the noun needed after the preposition 'for' and before the verb 'means'. 'Successful' is an adjective, 'succeed' is a verb, and 'successfully' is an adverb, so none of them fit the grammar of this sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “success in business”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.