Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cost of doing business

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.96 in modern English

Syllables: cost of -do-ing busi-ness
IPA

28

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

4

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The total ordinary expenses, such as materials, labor, and taxes, necessarily incurred in operating a commercial enterprise.

noun

An unwelcome or regrettable but predictable and unavoidable risk, loss, or inconvenience accepted as an inherent part of pursuing a particular goal or aim, especially when the risk may be impractical or counterproductive to try to reduce or eliminate.

Example Sentences

"Once you factor in rent, staff, and inventory, the cost of doing business around here eats up nearly half of gross revenue."
"Civilian casualties are just the cost of doing business when conducting a military operation in a dense urban enviroment."
"Sexual harassment settlements: ‘cost of doing business’"

Etymology

Originally a literal phrase, the cost of doing business, i.e. the ordinary expenses of running a commercial enterprise. The figurative sense, with the expanded meaning of any accepted negative consequence involved in pursuing a goal, became established in American English by the mid-to-late 20th century.

Phrases

sunk cost cost–benefit analysis

Frequently Paired Words

sunk cost overhead cost–benefit analysis

Synonyms

price of doing business comes with the territory part of the deal part of the package the price you pay occupational hazard

Questions

What does cost of doing business mean?: The total ordinary expenses, such as materials, labor, and taxes, necessarily incurred in operating a commercial enterprise.
Where does cost of doing business come from?: Originally a literal phrase, the cost of doing business, i.e. the ordinary expenses of running a commercial enterprise. The figurative sense, with the expanded meaning of any accepted negative consequence involved in pursuing a goal, became established in American English by the mid-to-late 20th century.

How to pronounce cost of doing business

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cost of doing business”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cost of doing business”.
Repeat and practice — Say “cost of doing business” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.