merchant

American  

[mur-chuhnt] / ˈmɜr tʃənt /

noun

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

• merchant-like adjective
• merchantlike adjective
• outmerchant noun

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

Example Sentences

For several years, I’ve purchased tea from a merchant in Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal

In some areas they control, rebels allow merchants to import cooking oil, rice and wheat from other neighboring countries only if cleared by the Rwandans, residents and traders say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Boyle Heights and Santa Ana, merchants have reported impacts.

From Los Angeles Times

Seventeen sailors died in two separate collisions between Navy destroyers and merchant ships in the Pacific in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We’ve spent decades building the infrastructure that allows every type of merchant to thrive.”

From Barron's

Related Words

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