50 of The Most Important Business English Expressions and Collocations

Do you want to speak professionally and advance your career? English is the preferred language of business around the globe. The more you learn new phrases and improve your business English, the more demand you attract as an employee – it helps you climb the corporate ladder. To get you started, we compiled a list of 50 common business English expressions and collocations that may come in handy in business conversations.

1. Business model: Franchising is arguably the best business model for international expansion.

2. Product launch: The marketing department just scheduled a product launch for a new line of luxury clothing.

3. Benefits package: The company offers a very favourable benefits package for highly productive employees.

4. Brand identity: It is important to establish your brand identity especially on social media.

5. Business ethics: Being rude to customers violates the code of business ethics.

6. Business plan: Always include a financial plan, marketing strategy, and industry analysis in your business plan before presenting it to investors.

7. Labour union: The employees were able to negotiate a pay rise through the labour union.

8. Mission statement: A company’s mission statement is an important determinant of the organizational culture.

9. Operating costs: Experts recommend inventory techniques such as Just In Time (JIT) to reduce operational costs and increase revenue.

10.Profit margin: The top management expects a 10% increase in the profit margin.

11. Stock options: Rewarding employees with stock options motivates them to work harder and ensure organizational growth.

12. Close a deal: Mastery of business English can help you to close a deal and gain a new client.

13. Cease trading: The company was forced to cease trading by the regulatory body due to various irregularities.

14.Go into partnership: Smith hopes to go into partnership as part of his expansion efforts.

15Lay off staff: It’s been rumoured that nearly half of the workforce may be laid off due to tough economic times.

16 Run a company: Running a company effectively requires determination.

17. Suffer losses: She suffered huge losses in the stock market.

18. Discontinue a product: Why did they discontinue the product?

19. Meet a deadline: He was forced to work overnight to meet the deadline for his sales pitch.

20. Attract investors: The markets must be stabilized to attract foreign investors.

21. Admit fault: The employee should admit fault for his lack of due diligence.

22. Break into the market: How do you break into the crowded garment industry? By offering a unique product.

23. Calculate risk: The software can help you calculate the risk parameter and provide valuable stock market information.

24. Boost confidence: He delivered an inspirational speech that will surely boost the confidence of the employees.

25. Call attention: The employers held a meeting to call attention to the high rates of taxation by the government.

26. Cancel an order: Mr Ash asked his stockbroker to cancel an order.

27. Gain ground: The Euro continues to gain ground against the US dollar.

28. Exchange a product: The return policy allows customers to exchange a faulty product.

29. Join forces: The two banks joined forces to increase their market share.

30. Keep someone’s word: You don’t have to be concerned as we will keep our word.

31. Invest resources: We should invest our resources on activities that generate considerable revenue.

32. Meet criteria: There are numerous criteria to be met before a company is registered.

33. Open an account: I will open a new bank account tomorrow morning.

34. Pay an invoice: The manager asked me to check the purchase order before I paid the invoice.

35. Place an order: He rushed to place an order after he projected a bullish move in the company’s shares.

36. Waive a fee: The state government offered to waive some fees is they were paid in lump sum.

37. Annual turnover: He projected an 18% increase in the annual turnover.

38. Big break: The musician finally got his big break after the latest song.

39. Competitive advantage: The company has a competitive advantage due to its low pricing.

40. Gray area: There are a lot of gray areas where it is hard to decide until you have more information.

41. Make something clear: Always make your intentions clear regarding a promotion.

42. Take/make a decision: We will make a decision after we’ve gathered more information.

43. Get a certification: He hopes to get a Microsoft certification to add to his resume.

44. Go out of business: If you are not careful with your expenses, you may go out of business.

45. Allocate/earmark: Over $100,000 was allocated for the new regional office.

46. In return for: The government promised greater tax in return for continued wage restraints.

47. Ban on something: The recent ban on plastic bags will have an effect on our inventory due to packaging.

48. On someone’s side: Most of the board members were clearly on the CEO’s side.

49. Prize, grant, scholarship: He was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in Economics.

50. Hoard, save, set aside, stash away: The maize farmers hoarded their produce to create demand and increase the price of maize.

Learn the Art of Business English From the Experts

The key to improving your oral and written English skills is practice – practice makes perfect. Here at The Art of Business English, we offer various carefully selected resources to help you grow as an individual and working profession. You can utilize our series of podcasts, blog posts, courses, monthly boot camps, and private coaching sessions.

If you are serious about advancing your career, we have an extensive E-book with hundreds of business English collocations that will significantly improve your personal development, social and interpersonal communication skills, as well as, presentation development and event preparation.