Common Acronyms and Abbreviations Used In Business

Learn commonly used acronyms and abbreviations of vocabulary words listed in English. This lesson contains mostly used Acronyms and Abbreviations used in Business. Learn these abbreviations and acronyms in a vocabulary words list with meanings & example sentences in English.

First of all, we will talk about the meaning of acronyms and abbreviations with examples in English. So, take a short look at these definitions and examples:

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What is an acronym?

An acronym is a shortening of a phrase into letters, forming a new word. For example:

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

What is an Abbreviation?

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. For example:

Ave. (Avenue)
Prof. (Professor)
Corp. (Corporation)
Jan. (January)
Ltd. (Limited)

Common Acronyms and Abbreviations

Today, we’ll explore these handy shortcuts in language. Acronyms are words formed from the first letters of a phrase, while abbreviations are shortened versions of words.

ACRONYM	MEANING	EXAMPLE
AGM	Annual General Meeting	“Last year’s activities and accounts will be discussed at the *AGM*.”
B2B	Business to business (sells things to other businesses)	“Here’s an interesting article on *B2B* commerce.”
B2C	Business to consumer (sells things to the general public)	“We are thinking of re-entering the *B2C* market.”
CEO	Chief Executive Officer (most important job in a company)	“Mr. Brown reports directly to the *CEO*.”
CFO	Chief Financial Officer (in charge of the company’s finances)	“The *CFO* is attending a meeting on cost reduction.”
CPA	Certified public accountant (qualified accountant)	“A *CPA* deals with our income tax returns.”
CTO	Chief technology officer (in charge of computer systems)	“The town’s *CTO* declared that all schools would have new computer systems next year.”
COB/EOB	Close of business / End of business	“I need an estimate by tomorrow *COB*.” (or *EOB*)
COD	Cash on delivery	“You don’t have to pay now – it’s *COD*.”
N/A	Non-applicable	“The information requested does not apply.”

ACRONYM	MEANING	EXAMPLE
NDA	Non-disclosure agreement (agree not to reveal information)	“All those present will be asked to sign an *NDA*.”
OT	Overtime (working extra hours)	“No OT will be approved this month.”
PR	Public relations	“The PR department is planning a press conference.”
ROI	Return on investment	“Investors always hope for a high *ROI.*“
RSVP	Reponses sail vows plait	“*RSVP* to Julie before the end of the month.”
TBA	To be announced	“Details of the agreement are *TBA*.”
TBD	To be determined	“An appropriate course of action is *TBD*.”
VAT	Value added tax	“It costs 1500€, *VAT* included.”
YTD	Year to date	“What are our *YTD* sales figures?”