business and occupation share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. business means “a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it”. occupation means “the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money”. business is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɪznəs/
1.n.a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
“he bought his brother's business”
2.n.the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects
“computers are now widely used in business”
3.n.the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
“he's not in my line of business”
| business | occupation | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɪznəs/ | /ˌɑkjəˈpeɪʃən/ |
| Said | BIZ-nuhs | ah-kyuh-PAY-shuhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Letters | 8 | 10 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 9 | 5 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | concern, business concern, business organization | business, job, line of work |
Full entry for business · Full entry for occupation · More comparisons
/ˌɑkjəˈpeɪʃən/
1.n.the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
“he's not in my line of business”
2.n.the control of a country by military forces of a foreign power
3.n.any activity that occupies a person's attention
“he missed the bell in his occupation with the computer game”