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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• businessmen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of businessman

First recorded in 1705–15; business + man

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

businessman businessmen

Among the deceased were Roger Duarte, a 42-year-old Miami restaurateur and seafood businessman, as well as pilot Josh Outram, a fourth-generation Kenyan and wildlife conservationist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have bought an Irish castle and are "excited" about the historic home, a spokesman for the businessman said in a statement Thursday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

As a graduate of Harvard and NYU, he has a broad education; as a businessman, a knowledge of administration.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Andy Burnham has registered accepting £345,000 of donations over the past year including £164,347 from businessman Lord Sainsbury.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Father’s plan was different; he wanted Harry to be a businessman and one day take over the cotton gin and the pecan orchards and join the Freemasons, as he had.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

These unusually outspoken public comments reflect the strain on Russian officials and businessmen who have to navigate the damage to Russia’s economy caused by the war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Built shortly before World War I to complement the Left Bank’s Le Bon Marché department store, the hotel hosted visiting tourists, businessmen, families and conventions of professionals from all over Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

That’s because the group bought the team in 2010 for an estimated $480 million from American businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

The two often present, especially in court documents, as simple businessmen just trying to make money.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Students from the arts college, old people, veterans, politicians, businessmen, professors, housewives—you name it, they were there.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx