businessman

[ biz-nis-man ]

noun

, plural busi·ness·men.

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

In the real world, he's a failed businessman who repeatedly filed for bankruptcy after losses so huge that even decades of fraud and two cash infusions amounting to nearly a billion dollars couldn't safeguard him.

From Salon

The charitable foundation represents the late British businessman, who collected the items in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and China, before his death in 1964.

From BBC

Eric Hovde, a businessman and bank executive, is claiming that because of alleged voting irregularities and the presence of a right-wing, pro-gun third party candidate, the election result was not legitimate.

From Salon

The attempted murder charges relate to eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, Ms Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

From BBC

But the retired businessman began slo-mo strength training because he wanted to feel stronger.

From Los Angeles Times