businessman

[biz-nis-man]

noun

plural

businessmen 

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

businessman

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of businessman¹

First recorded in 1705–15; business + man

Example Sentences

MI5, the U.K.’s domestic spy agency, said that Chinese authorities dispatched a Chinese businessman to cultivate a relationship with the down-and-out prince in a bid to promote the interest of the Communist Party.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Seaford Town, farmer and businessman Christopher Hacker saw his restaurant and nearby banana plantations flattened.

Read more on Barron's

“Over the past decade, I have come to know Mark well — first as a businessman, then as a friend and now as a colleague,” Jeanie Buss said in a statement.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Irish businessman went on to say that Rodgers' assertion that no offer had been made was "simply untrue".

Read more on BBC

"Who will I elect if all the opposition leaders have been blocked? There is no purpose," said Suleimani Issa Ali, a businessman.

Read more on Barron's