Search Content

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. 

TURN A PROFIT  

Phrase

  • to make a profit.
Example Sentence: The supermarket has been turning a profit since it opened.
 

PLUG A PRODUCT  

Phrase

  • to promote a product.
Example Sentence: The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.
 

MAKE A MOTION  

Phrase

  • to make a suggestion or proposal at a meeting.
Example Sentence: The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the next day.
 

CRUNCH NUMBERS krʌntʃ nʌmbərz

Phrase

  • to do mathematical calculations.
Example Sentence: Our accountant loves to crunch numbers and he is one of the top managers in the company.
 

CONTINGENCY FEE kənˈtɪndʒənsi fi

Noun

  • (in the legal industry) a legal fee determined as a certain percentage of the award.
Example Sentence: We promised to pay a 10% contingency fee upon successful completion of the case, i.e. if we win and get our $10M compensation from the factory.
 

TO CEDE sid

Verb

  • to give rights, some land, an area, a part of something to another person/company/country etc, usually unwillingly.
Example Sentence: In 1664 New Amsterdam was ceded to the British.
 

TO REFUND rɪˈfʌnd

Verb

  • to give a customer their money back because they are not satisfied with the product or service they have received.
Example Sentence: The shop was not willing to refund my money in full so I decided to report them to the competent authority.
 

ACCELERATION ækˌsɛləˈreɪʃən

Noun

  • (the rate of) speeding up.
Example Sentence: You can do a lot for the acceleration of your enterprise, e.g. you can invest more time into advertising yourself on community pages like Facebook.
 

FLEXIBILITY flɛksəbəl

Noun

  • ability to bend, change or adapt without breaking.
Example Sentence: During a period of change it is important to have flexibility.
 

PORTFOLIO pɔrtˈfoʊliˌoʊ

Noun

  • Various types of securities held by an individual or institution.
Example Sentence: Investment in real estate makes up the bulk of his investment portfolio, but he also has some considerable investment in gold.
 

BURN RATE bɜrn reɪt

Phrase

  • Refers to the amount of money a start-up company spends from month to month (money burnt) in order to survive.
Example Sentences: A burn-rate of $50,000 would mean the company spends $50,000 a month above any incoming cash flow to sustain its business.
Our current burn rate is US$15,000 per month. At this rate, we'll be able to continue operating the business until the end of the year.
 

SERVICE CHARGE OR BANK FEES  

Noun

  • money that a customer pays a bank for an account or other services.
Example Sentence: There is no service charge if the account has a minimum balance of $1,500.
 

SPLASH OUT /splæʃ aʊt/

Phrasal Verb

  • to spend a lot of money on something you don't need, but is very pleasant.
Example Sentence: When the city traders get their annual bonus, they splash out on everything from sports cars to luxury houses.
 

LICENSE  

verb

  • License is used as a verb meaning to give someone official permission to do or have something.
Example Sentences: Several companies have been licensed to sell these products.
If the product is not licensed to you, you cannot use it.
 

ACROSS THE BOARD /əˈkrɔs ðə bɔrd/

phrase

  • If something is across the board, then everything or everyone is included in it.
Example Sentences:The director made an across the board decision to hire new managers.
We heard that when Mr. Jones returns, he will give salary increases across the board.
 
Menu