English Reference
Noun

businessman

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US /ˈbɪznəsˌmæn/ UK /bˈɪznəsmən/ busi·ness·man

n.a man who works in business, especially one who has an important job in a company. You use this to describe someone who manages or owns a commercial organization.

n.a male person engaged in commercial or industrial business, particularly in an executive or ownership capacity. Often replaced by the gender-neutral 'businessperson' in modern professional contexts.


SIMPLE

The businessman wears a suit to every meeting.

CONTEXTUAL

A local businessman decided to invest in the new community center to help young entrepreneurs.

COMPLEX

While the traditional image of a businessman involves a briefcase and a formal office, modern commerce allows many to operate entirely through digital platforms from remote locations.

Usage

Often used in the plural 'businessmen'; increasingly substituted with 'businessperson' or 'executive' to avoid gender-specific language.


From business + -man. Displaced earlier merchant, ultimately from Latin mercāns (“merchant, buyer”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Frequent
Updated