50 common business English words and phrases
English is the lingua franca of business. It’s the most common language we use to do business with each other, regardless of our culture, ethnicity, or native tongue.
That’s why many languages use English terms to talk about marketing or sales concepts. Even if you’re not a native English speaker, you may already know terms like A/B testing, SEO, or branding because your native language uses them too.
But regardless of the growing number of English business terms used in other languages, the English corporate jargon still has many words and expressions you should learn if you plan on doing business with English speakers.
Everyday business vocabulary
Even if you’re not business-savvy (it’s ok if you aren’t!), knowing the most common words and phrases used in everyday business interactions is a must.
You’ll need them when introducing yourself to a new client or while talking with your coworkers at the office.
Here’s a list of everyday business vocabulary that’ll come in handy whenever you want to gossip with your coworkers or complain about your workload to your office buddy.
1. ASAP (As Soon As Possible):
To do something ASAP means to do it fast, with urgency. Ex.: "I need to submit the report ASAP so we can review it before the meeting tomorrow."
2. Backburner:
To put something on the backburner means to set aside tasks or projects for a while. Ex.: "We’ve put this project on the backburner for now."
3. Balls in the air:
No, it’s not what you think it is. If you have multiple tasks or responsibilities to handle at the same time, you have many "balls in the air." Ex.: "With the upcoming deadline and client meetings, I have a lot of balls in the air right now."
4. Too much on my plate:
When you feel overwhelmed or have too many tasks or responsibilities, you have "too much on your plate." Ex.: "I can't take on any more projects at the moment; I already have too much on my plate."
5. Bandwidth:
We’re not referring to a radio. Bandwidth is a person's capacity or availability to take on additional tasks or projects. Ex.: "I’d love to help, but I don't have the bandwidth right now."
6. Boil the ocean:
If we “boiled the ocean,” we just took on an overly ambitious task that’s unlikely to succeed. Ex.: "Let's focus on smaller goals instead of trying to boil the ocean with this project."
7. Brain dump:
In other words, putting lots of ideas on paper. Ex.: "I did a quick brain dump and came up with an awesome idea."
8. Deliverables:
These are the tangible results or outputs that are expected from a project or task. Ex.: "What are our deliverables for this month?"
9. Game changer:
A game changer means something that has the potential to impact or transform a situation significantly. Ex.: "This new organization tool I’m using is a game changer for me!"
10. Good to go:
When something is “good to go,” it’s ready. Ex.: "The proposal I’ve been working on is good to go for today’s presentation."
11. Herding cats:
This expression doesn’t mean that someone is literally herding dozens of cats in their apartment. It’s just a weird way to say you’re trying to manage people or tasks that are difficult to manage. Ex.: "Coordinating the different departments' schedules for this project feels like herding cats."
12. Run up the flagpole:
Running something up the flagpole means presenting an idea, proposal, or plan to gather feedback. Ex.: "I haven’t finished the project yet, because I still need to run it up the flagpole.”
13. Throw under the bus:
This is a common expression you might have heard in another context. It means to unfairly blame or sacrifice someone for your own benefit or to avoid responsibility. Ex.: "John tried to throw me under the bus by blaming me for the mistake during the presentation."
14. Micromanage:
Micromanaging can be the most annoying thing in the workplace! It’s the practice of excessive or unnecessary control over small details of tasks or projects. Ex.: "I’m so annoyed with Susan! She micromanages everything I do.”
15. Let go:
These are probably the two scariest words in the office! When someone has been “let go,” they were fired. Ex.: “Have you heard? Jack was let go yesterday!”
16. Keep me in the loop:
When you ask someone to “keep you in the loop,” you ask them to keep you informed and included in the conversation. Ex.: “Keep me in the loop! I want to know what’s going on between John and Susan!”
17. Workflow:
Workflow refers to the sequence of steps or tasks involved in completing a specific process or project. Ex.: “The workflow for this project is insane… I don’t know how I’ll finish it on time!”
Business meetings vocabulary
Over the past few years, we grew accustomed to online team meetings over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. And we’ve also gotten used to hearing the same corporate expressions over and over again at every team meeting.
Even if you’re not a fluent English speaker, you might have already heard some phrases used in business meetings held in English. But to help you confidently navigate the next meeting, here’s the list of key expressions with their meanings.
1. Meeting agenda:
It’s a structured plan that outlines the topics, objectives, and order of discussion for a meeting.
2. Opening remarks:
These are the comments or statements your team members make at the beginning of a meeting. They are meant to provide the context and introduce the rest of the team to the topic of the meeting.
3. Action plan:
It’s a detailed plan that specifies what needs to be done. It outlines the tasks and the timeline to achieve set goals.
4. Touch base:
If someone wants to touch base with you, it doesn’t mean they want to play hockey. They just want to discuss something with you.
5. Break the ice:
It’s a common expression used in everyday situations. It means starting a conversion and can be used during a meeting to kick things off.
6. Get the ball rolling:
It means starting something. In this case, the meeting.
7. Circle back:
When someone says, “Let’s circle back,” they want to discuss something again, or they’ll want to discuss it with you later.
8. Going forward:
It’s an expression used to move from one topic to another during a team meeting.
9. Think outside the box:
This is a popular idiom. But in the corporate setting, it simply means coming up with innovative ideas.
10. Win-win situation:
If something is a win-win situation, it’s an outcome or solution that benefits everyone involved. Everybody wins!
11. Move the needle:
If someone moved the needle, they made significant progress or achieved something that positively impacted the situation.
12. Take it offline:
I initially thought it meant to take the online conversation face-to-face. But no, it means to discuss something outside the current meeting so as not to go over the planned meeting time.
13. Back to the drawing board:
When someone wants to go back to the drawing board, they feel the need to start over. Mainly because something didn’t go as planned or they want to reevaluate the plan.
14. Trim the fat:
This funny expression means removing unnecessary elements to make something more streamlined or efficient.
15. On the same page:
When someone says, “Let’s make sure we’re on the same page,” they want to know whether you’re thinking alike.
16. Deep dive:
When someone wants to “deep dive” into something, they just want to explore the topic in detail.
17. Ducks in a row:
If your boss says, “Let’s get our ducks in a row,” it means they want to start getting organized to handle a task.
18. On board:
If you’re on board with something, you agree with it. If you don’t, you can always move the goalposts.
19. Move the goalposts:
If your manager wants to move the goalposts, they want to change something: the objectives, the scope, or the project requirements.
20. Park it:
If you’re parking it, you’re holding off on a project or milestone until you get approval from whoever is in charge.
21. Push the envelope:
If your boss asks you to push the envelope, they just want you to give your best.
22. Drill down into:
To drill down into something means to examine or analyze it in detail.
23. Forward planning:
As you may have intuitively assumed, forward planning is the process of anticipating future needs or events and preparing accordingly.
24. Silver bullet:
A silver bullet is a simple or quick solution that solves a complex problem or achieves significant results.
25. Cut corners:
This is a popular idiom in everyday English, which means taking shortcuts. It’s usually done to save resources (like money or time), but it’s not always the best way.
26. Call it a day:
The phrase you’re looking forward to during the entire meeting! “Let’s call it a day” means the meeting is over. Hooray!
27. Follow-up questions:
Follow-up questions are additional questions you or your teammates might have after discussing something. They aim to clarify things or gather more information.
28. Closing remarks:
The opposite of opening remarks. Closing remarks are the comments or statements made at the end of a meeting, usually to summarize what was discussed.
29. Wrap up:
When you’re wrapping things up, you’re finishing something - a task, a project, or a meeting.
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