businessman

American  

[biz-nis-man] / ˈbɪz nɪsˌmæn /

noun

plural

businessmen

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

---

businessman British  

/ ˈbɪznɪsˌmæn, -mən /

noun

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

---

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

A co-worker of his wife had launched a GoFundMe in February 2025, with donors including businessman, producer and comic Byron Allen.

From Los Angeles Times

The second, Joan, a middle-aged heiress in Florida, was conned by Ken into believing that he was Jewish and a canny businessman.

From The Wall Street Journal

A British minister in a government statement called Ansari a “corrupt Iranian banker and businessman.”

From The Wall Street Journal

This may have been because he was a foreigner, or a calculating businessman, but Ms. Goldring makes the case that it was Holbein’s irreplaceable artistic prowess that kept him in the king’s good graces.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was a rich businessman whose free-spending ad blitz made him inescapable on the airwaves.

From Los Angeles Times