20 Must-Know Business English Phrases for Work (With Examples and Practice Exercises)

Want to sound more confident and natural at work?

In the real world of business, native speakers use short, punchy phrases that aren’t always taught in textbooks. If you’ve ever heard someone say things like Let’s touch base or It’s still up in the air and weren’t sure what they meant, this list is for you. Here are 20 must-know Business English phrases for work that professionals use every day — plus simple examples and practice exercises to help you use them with confidence.

TOUCH BASE

idiom

to talk to someone for a short time to give or get an update

Let’s touch base tomorrow after the client meeting.

TAKE THE LEAD

idiom

to be the first to start something; to be the person who guides or manages a task or group

Bill, can you take the lead on the presentation next week?

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

idiom

to think in a creative or different way

We need to think outside the box if we want to stand out from the competition.

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PUSH BACK THE DEADLINE

phrase

to move the deadline to a later date or time

We’re not ready yet, so we’ll need to push back the deadline by a week.

RUN something BY someone

phrasal verb

to quickly show or explain something to someone to get their opinion or approval

Can I run this idea by you before the meeting?

TAKE OWNERSHIP

phrase

to accept responsibility for something and work hard to make it successful

She took ownership of the project and made it a success.

IN THE LOOP

idiom

informed and up to date about something

Please keep me in the loop about any changes to the schedule.

GIVE (someone) A HEADS-UP

phrase

a warning or piece of information given in advance to prepare someone for something

Just a heads-up — the meeting has been moved to 2 PM.

Thanks for the heads-up!

Can you give me a heads-up next time before making any changes?

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IN A NUTSHELL

idiom

said in a short and clear way

In a nutshell, the project is behind schedule but still on track to finish.

CUT CORNERS

idiom

to do something too quickly or cheaply by skipping steps or lowering quality

They cut corners on the design, and now the app keeps crashing.

FLAG something

verb

to mark something as important or needing attention

If you see any errors in the report, please flag them for review.

TAKE A SHORTCUT

phrase

to use a faster or easier way to do something — often by skipping steps

We found a shortcut that saves us two hours of manual work each week.

I know it's tempting to take a shortcut, but we need to do this properly.

LAY OUT (laid out, laid out) options/ plan/ proposal/ details, etc.

phrasal verb

to explain or show something clearly and in an organized way

They laid out the options during the meeting and asked for feedback.

UP IN THE AIR

idiom

not yet decided or settled, still uncertain

Our vacation plans are still up in the air because we don’t know if we’ll get time off.

CALL THE SHOTS

idiom

to be the person who makes the decisions

In this project, Jack is calling the shots.

IN THE PIPELINE

idiom

being planned or worked on

We have three new products in the pipeline.

REACH OUT

phrasal verb

to contact someone

I’ll reach out to the client later today.

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RAMP UP effort/ production, etc.

phrasal verb

to increase

They’re ramping up production to meet demand.

THE BOTTOM LINE

noun

the most important point; the final result

The bottom line is we need to finish this by Friday.

WRAP UP

phrasal verb

to finish something

Let’s wrap up the meeting — we’ve covered everything.

Practice Business English Phrases for Work. Part 1.

Choose the correct phrase to complete each sentence.

1.

We finished discussing the current issue, and she _____ the next steps during the meeting.

A) lay off

B) laid out

2.

Experienced developers know when it's okay to take _____ and when to stick to the full process.

A) shortcuts

B) bottlenecks

3.

His promotion is up in the _____ — management hasn’t decided yet.

A) clouds

B) air

4.

We had to _____ the deadline because the client requested more changes.

A) pull up

B) push back

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5.

Feel free to _____ if you have any questions about the project.

A) reach out B) write off

6.

In a _____, we need more time.

A) briefing B) nutshell

7.

We have several new products _____ for next year.

A) in the pipeline

B) in the schedule

8.

Everyone on the team helps, but Jen’s the one _____ when it comes to final decisions.

A) calling the shots

B) running the numbers

9.

We need to _____ production to meet demand.

A) ramp up

B) slow down

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10.

The _____ line is we need to cut costs.

A) final

B) bottom

Practice Business English Phrases for Work. Part 2.

Listen to the dialogue between Jenna (Project Manager) and Luis (Marketing Lead) and fill in the blanks.