businessman

IPA/ˈbɪznəsmæn/
KK[bˈɪznəsmˌæn]IPA/ˈbɪznəsmæn/

businessman — noun

  • businessmansingular
  • businessmenplural

1. a male whose job involves running, owning, or holding a senior role in a company

1.nounA2
Definition

a male whose job involves running, owning, or holding a senior role in a company, often making important decisions about money and trade.

Example

Marcus is a successful businessman who owns three small hotels in Taipei.

pattern: a successful businessman who owns [company]

The local businessman donated a million dollars to rebuild the village school.

collocation: local / wealthy + businessman

Common collocations
  • successful businessman
  • wealthy businessman
  • local businessman
  • leading businessman
  • self-made businessman
  • retired businessman
Synonyms
  • entrepreneur

    stresses starting and taking risks on a new venture, not just holding a senior role

  • executive

    a senior manager inside a company; doesn't imply ownership the way businessman often does

  • merchant

    older or more formal; focuses on someone who buys and sells goods rather than running a modern company

  • tycoon

    informal; suggests a very rich and powerful businessman in one industry

Grammar Patterns

a/the businessman

businessman + from + place

Usage Note

Refers specifically to a male; for a woman in the same role, use 'businesswoman', and for a gender-neutral option many writers now prefer 'businessperson' or 'business owner'. Often paired with adjectives describing scale or success (local, wealthy, successful, leading).

Common Mistakes

My mother is a famous businessman in Tainan.
My mother is a famous businesswoman in Tainan.
'businessman' is for a male; use 'businesswoman' for a female.
There were many businessmans at the meeting.
There were many businessmen at the meeting.
the plural is irregular: businessman → businessmen.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe people working in commerce, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Businessman' is the broadest and most everyday choice — it covers anyone male who owns or runs a company, from a small shop owner to the head of a large firm. 'Entrepreneur' is narrower: it stresses someone who starts a new business and accepts the risk of failure, often in a creative or technology field. 'Executive' points to a senior employee who manages others inside an existing company; an executive may not own anything. 'Merchant' sounds older and more formal, suggesting someone whose work is buying and selling physical goods. So a tea seller in 1900 was a merchant, the woman who founded an app in 2024 is an entrepreneur, the man hired to run her company is an executive, and any of them can be called a businessman in casual talk.

businessman ↗entrepreneur ↗executive ↗merchant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • businessman of the year
  • group of businessmen

Phrases

  • a self-made businessman
  • a leading businessman
  • go into business as a businessman

Prepositions

  • businessman from [place]
  • businessman in [industry/city]

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

A simple compound of 'business' and 'man'. 'Business' grew from Old English 'bisignes', meaning anxiety or being busy, and only later narrowed to mean trade and commerce. The combined form 'businessman' appeared in English writing in the early 1800s as company-based commerce spread, replacing older words like 'merchant' and 'tradesman' for men working in modern firms. The female counterpart 'businesswoman' followed soon after, and the gender-neutral 'businessperson' emerged in the late 20th century.