IELTS Vocabulary for Business (40 Academic Words)

A focused set of high-frequency Business vocabulary for IELTS Writing and Speaking. Each word includes a learner-friendly meaning and a natural example sentence. Learn them, then use Engldom to drill them with spaced repetition.

Word	Meaning & example
company B1	a business organization that employs people and buys and sells goods or services The small company has grown significantly in the last five years.
product B1	a thing that is made or produced and can be sold They launched a new product last month.
service B1	the action of helping or doing work for someone The company offers excellent customer service.
customer B1	a person or organization that buys goods or services from a store or business The shop aims to satisfy all its customers.
employee B1	a person who is paid to work for a company or another person All employees receive a yearly bonus.
manager B1	a person who is in charge of a team, department, or company The new manager is very organised.
finance B1	the management of large amounts of money, especially by governments or large companies She works in the finance department.
manage B1	to be in charge of a team, department, company, etc. He manages a team of five people.
competition B1	the activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or holding off rivals The market is full of intense competition.
advertising B1	the activity or profession of producing advertisements for commercial products or services The company spends a lot on advertising.
negotiate B1	to try to reach an agreement in a discussion They are negotiating a new contract.
expand B1	to become larger or include more things The business plans to expand into Europe.
recruit B1	to find new people to join a company, organization, or army The company is looking to recruit new graduates.
collaboration B1	the act of working together with someone to produce or achieve something There was a successful collaboration between the two firms.
acquire B1	to buy something or obtain it from someone The large corporation plans to acquire the smaller company.
brand B1	a type of product manufactured by a particular company This is a well-known brand of coffee.
entrepreneur B1	a person who starts a business and is good at taking risks She is a successful entrepreneur in the tech sector.
headquarters B1	the main office or building of an organization The company's headquarters are located in London.
logistics B1	the detailed organisation and support needed for a large, complex operation Efficient logistics are crucial for international trade.
merger B1	the joining of two or more companies or organizations The merger between the two banks created a financial giant.
outsourcing B1	the practice of paying another company to do work for you Many companies are using outsourcing for their customer support.
subsidiary B1	a company that is owned or controlled by a larger company The firm has several subsidiaries in Europe.
turnover B1	the amount of business that a company makes in a particular period The company's annual turnover has doubled.
venture B1	a business activity that involves taking risks It was a risky venture, but it paid off.
workforce B1	all the people working for a company or in a country The company has a highly skilled workforce.
shareholder B1	An owner of shares in a company. The company must report its financial performance to its shareholders.
dividend B1	A sum of money paid regularly (typically quarterly) by a company to its shareholders. The company announced a significant increase in its annual dividend.
overhead B1	Regular and necessary costs, such as rent and heating, that have to be paid by a business, in addition to other costs such as wages and materials. The company is trying to reduce its overhead costs.
operational B1	Concerned with or affecting the way that any business, organisation, or system works. The company needs to improve its operational efficiency.
profitable B1	Yielding profit or financial gain. They turned the struggling business into a profitable enterprise.
effectively B1	In such a manner as to achieve a desired result. The marketing campaign was effectively targeted at young adults.
strategically B1	In a way that relates to the identification of long-term or overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them. The company has strategically positioned itself as a leader in its field.
organise B1	Arrange systematically; order. The team needs to organise its resources more effectively.
increase B1	Become or make greater in size, amount, intensity, or degree. The aim is to increase revenue and reduce costs.
decrease B1	Become smaller or fewer in size, amount, intensity, or degree. The company is working to decrease its environmental impact.
forecast B1	Predict or estimate (a future event or trend). It is difficult to forecast economic conditions accurately.
appraise B2	to assess the value or quality of something or someone It is crucial to appraise the potential risks before making a significant investment.
assets B2	property owned by a person or company, regarded as having value and available to meet debts, commitments, or legacies The company's most valuable assets include its intellectual property and its skilled workforce.
audacious B2	showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks The start-up launched an audacious marketing campaign to capture market share.
benchmark B2	a standard or point of reference against which things may be compared or assessed The company aims to set a new benchmark for quality in the industry.

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