Vocabulary list for Business English learners (D - F)

Business English - Vocabulary List

The phrase dress code refers to a set of company rules about what clothing may and may not be worn at work.

You might hear this term used to describe something that deserves closer inspection: “we need to drill down to the finer details”.

This term refers to the end of the working day. “Close of play” is a variant, as in “Can you get this over to me by close of play today?”

The noun equipment is used to talk about a set of tools or devices you need for a special purpose. For instance, office equipment may include photocopiers, cabinets, etc.

The noun estimate refers to a general idea about the value, size or cost of something based on a rough calculation. To estimate  can also be used as a verb, but the pronunciation is a bit different.

The verb to expand means to increase the size or amount of something. In business, we often talk about expanding a department or a business. The noun for this word is expansion.

The word “feedback”, which should be used as a noun to describe constructive comments on something (as in essay feedback), is used often in office jargon as a verb (e.g. “We’re waiting for him to feedback on the ideas”)