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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

They include PepsiCo and the spice merchant McCormick & Co., which both cited nontariff price increases as a target of the refunds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The ship also carried 1,000 merchant sailors, 700 civilians and 100 crew, according to the POW agency, which notes the numbers are estimates based on conflicting historical documents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Asked whether Iran would impose tolls on merchant vessels passing through the vital waterway, Caine said it was a “hypothetical” scenario — a response Kennedy rejected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Originating thousands of years ago in Indonesia, it moved west as its carriers travelled along merchant routes, Prof Laron believes.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Hamilton had been born on the West Indian island of Nevis, the illegitimate son of a down-on-her-luck beauty of French extraction and a hard-drinking Scottish merchant with a flair for bankruptcy.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

“The difference of Insurance is such that every Merchant Orders their Goods shipped in British Bottoms.”

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

AUS Merchant Services admitted its compliance program failed to prevent illegal sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

With prices increasing worldwide, Apple is “well positioned to capture switchers” when legacy or entry-level iPhones fall into this midrange price band through promotions or subsidies, Merchant wrote.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

In recent years Celtic fans have been involved in anti-social behaviour after gathering in their thousands in the Merchant City and Trongate areas of Glasgow.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

“The plays of William Shakespeare,” said Mrs. Baker, “which can never be boring to the true soul. Open it to The Merchant of Venice.”

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

Management attributed the momentum to traction with larger merchants and self-onboarded sellers alike.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

By giving merchants and residents a common way to measure goods, the system helped make exchanges more consistent for everyone.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

The merger could help lower processing fees, spurring more merchants and consumers to use online payment services.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

She looked through the list of merchants and activated two eligible cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Meanwhile, Don Quixote had met other people farther up the road, some merchants and their servants.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Related Words

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