Synonyms

businessman

American

[biz-nis-man] / ˈbɪz nɪsˌmæn /

noun

plural

businessmen

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

businessman British

/ ˈbɪznɪsˌmæn, -mən /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The publication of millions of pages of documents relating to Epstein by the US Department of Justice this year cast new light on this enigmatic German businessman.

From BBC

Rounding out the large party were three doctors, two ministers, a military general, a former secretary of the US Navy, more writers and editors, plus a businessman or two.

From Literature

Robinson has garnered the backing of high-profile conservative American politicians and the billionaire businessman Elon Musk has voiced support for him.

From BBC

Before allegations against him were brought forward, to Phnom Penh he was "just a businessman, contributing to the economy".

From Barron's

On Tuesday, another consortium led by American businessman David Storch stated it was still interested.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023