businessman

American  

[biz-nis-man] / ˈbɪz nɪsˌmæn /

noun

businessmen plural

1. a man regularly employed in business, especially a white-collar worker, executive, or owner.

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businessman British  

/ ˈbɪznɪsˌmæn, -mən /

noun

1. a person, esp a man, engaged in commercial or industrial business, esp as an owner or executive

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Usage

There is a gender-neutral form, businessperson , but it does not appear to be very widely used. The plural business people is quite widely used, and if you wish to avoid being gender-specific, you could try recasting your sentence to use the plural

Etymology

Origin of businessman

First recorded in 1705–15; business + man

Example Sentences

In the aforementioned poll, minister and housing activist Rae Huang had 9% and former educational technology businessman Adam Miller had 5%.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

A US businessman and Republican congressional candidate told AFP Friday he discussed business opportunities with the grandson of former Cuban president Raul Castro in Havana at a critical time for US-Cuba relations.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

United States, centers on a fight between a California businessman and the IRS, but it could impact “tens of millions of taxpayers,” IRS National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins said in a blog post.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

The Chinese businessman was sentenced to 46 months in jail and released in 2017 with time served.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

Bod saw Mother Slaughter dancing with the man in the turban, while the businessman was dancing with Louisa Bartleby.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman