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• merchant
  merchant

  noun

  a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
• Merchant
  Merchant

  noun

  Ismail (ˈɪzmeɪəl). 1936–2005, Indian film producer, noted for his collaboration with James Ivory on such films as Shakespeare Wallah (1965), The Europeans (1979), A Room with a View (1986), The Remains of the Day (1993), and The Golden Bowl (2000)

merchant

American  

[mur-chuhnt] / ˈmɜr tʃənt /

noun

• merchants
  plural

1. a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.

2. a storekeeper; retailer.

   a local merchant who owns a store on Main Street.

3. Chiefly British. a wholesaler.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or used for trade or commerce.

   a merchant ship.

2. pertaining to the merchant marine.

3. Steelmaking. (of bars and ingots) of standard shape or size.

merchant ¹ British  

/ ˈmɜːtʃənt /

noun

1. a person engaged in the purchase and sale of commodities for profit, esp on international markets; trader

2. a person engaged in retail trade

3. (esp in historical contexts) any trader

4. derogatory a person dealing or involved in something undesirable

   a gossip merchant

5. (modifier)

   1. of the merchant navy

      a merchant sailor

   2. of or concerned with trade

      a merchant ship

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verb

1. (tr) to conduct trade in; deal in

Merchant ² British  

/ ˈmɜːtʃənt /

noun

1. Ismail (ˈɪzmeɪəl). 1936–2005, Indian film producer, noted for his collaboration with James Ivory on such films as Shakespeare Wallah (1965), The Europeans (1979), A Room with a View (1986), The Remains of the Day (1993), and The Golden Bowl (2000)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outmerchant
  noun
• merchant-like
  adjective
• merchantlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• merchants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of merchant

1250–1300; Middle English marchant < Old French marcheant < Vulgar Latin *mercātant- (stem of *mercātāns ), present participle of *mercātāre, frequentative of Latin mercārī to trade, derivative of merx goods

Explanation

A merchant is someone who works in or owns a retail business and sells goods. In Paris you can stroll from merchant to merchant, buying a loaf of bread in one shop and a wedge of cheese in another. The noun merchant has its Latin roots in the word merchari, meaning to trade. Other words from the same root include "market," "merchandise," and "mercantile." In some areas, independent merchants have banded together to combine advertising dollars and compete against malls and big box stores. You should ask your neighborhood book merchant if they've considered joining a group like this.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

merchant Merchant merchants

Ives now is a partner and senior managing director at merchant bank Yorkville Ives, which he helped launch earlier this year.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

During evidence at the hearing, the man's daughter Su Christie, said her father, a former merchant navy crewman, had a lifelong fear of showers due to a childhood trauma.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Across three of the exhibitions, the male Viking emerges as a warrior, a seafarer, and a merchant.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

It took 12 of us across the merchant bank BDT & MSD and the law firm Wachtell Lipton, nine months, $1.7 billion and the approval of the entire league.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

The merchant took his wife in his arms and held her a moment before jabbing an accusatory finger at Baaz.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Jay Merchant, Jonathan Mathew, Philippe Moryoussef, Alex Pabon, Colin Bermingham were convicted following trials for manipulating the interest rates used for loans between banks.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

“While demand remains strong, we continue to see variability tied to customer timing, mix sensitivity, working capital intensity and customer concentration,” Asiya Merchant, technology equity analyst at Citigroup, wrote in a note on Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

By 2005, when the trade publication Catalog Age changed its name to Multichannel Merchant to reflect the rise of e-commerce, even legacy brands like Lands’ End and L.L.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

Alibaba Group and AUS Merchant Services will pay $600 million to resolve Justice Department allegations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

“First we’ll read The Merchant of Venice aloud together, so that I can be sure that you are following the dialogue. Afterward, you’ll be reading on your own.”

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

Under the bill, each card issued by a major bank would be required to support at least two networks, including smaller competitors, allowing merchants to choose a network that charges a lower fee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“The landscape for merchants in e-commerce is becoming increasingly complex,” McPadden said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

The co-brand cards that millions of consumers use have long been the epicenter of a love-hate relationship between large merchants and banks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Still, many California merchants aren’t yet equipped with chip-and-tap technology for their payment terminals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Samir recognized the berserker immediately, glanced back at me with bulging eyes, and turned to the merchants.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• broker
• dealer
• exporter
• operator
• retailer
• seller
• shipper
• shopkeeper
• trader
• trafficker
• vendor
• wholesaler