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.

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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

Businessman Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo had been appointed prime minister in October in an effort to bridge the divide between military leadership and civilian government.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Businessman Phypers, 53, filed to divorce Richards, 54, in July after six years of marriage.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025

Businessman Gyura Dishon was equally jubilant that the hostages were coming home.

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

Businessman Rick Caruso, a former mayoral candidate, donated $50,000 and offered to match another $50,000 in contributions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

Didn’t she realize that this didn’t help his business reputation or his chances for the Chamber of Commerce Businessman of 1968, which that creep Kowalski was trying to steal from him?

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt