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

Landry, an ex-police officer and businessman who also served with the National Guard in the Gulf War, doesn’t have prior foreign policy experience.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

McKee, a former businessman, had held several junior ministerial roles previously but is now stepping up to the cabinet for the first time as public service reform secretary, with the government eyeing big savings.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

But he did not discuss sales of the powerful H200 model with top officials in Beijing, the businessman told Bloomberg Television in an interview broadcast Monday.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Much will depend on the thoughts of chairman David Sullivan and the other significant shareholder Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech businessman who now also owns the Royal Mail.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

Member of this and that Leading businessman and farmer.

From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker