merchandise
Americannoun
-
the manufactured goods bought and sold in any business.
-
the stock of goods in a store.
-
goods, especially manufactured goods; commodities.
verb (used without object)
-
merchandises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
merchandised,
past participle, past
-
merchandising
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
merchandises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
merchandised,
past participle, past
-
merchandising
present participle
-
to buy and sell; deal in; trade.
-
to plan or manage the arrangement and promotion of (goods in a store).
When you merchandise your products, promote impulse purchases by grouping like items.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
merchandisesimple
-
merchandisessimple
-
have merchandisedperfect
-
has merchandisedperfect
-
am merchandisingprogressive
-
are merchandisingprogressive
-
is merchandisingprogressive
-
have been merchandisingperfect progressive
-
has been merchandisingperfect progressive
Past
-
merchandisedsimple
-
had merchandisedperfect
-
was merchandisingprogressive
-
were merchandisingprogressive
-
had been merchandisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of merchandise
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English marchandise, from Old French; see merchant, -ice
Explanation
The noun merchandise refers to things that can be bought or sold, like the merchandise that's for sale at your local record shop, or the merchandise sold by sidewalk vendors in a big city. When you go into a store, you're surrounded by merchandise, whether it's food, clothing, or books. Goods that can be bought or sold are merchandise, and so are items connected with a particular movie or music group — like the t-shirts you can buy at a rock concert's merchandise booth. Merchandise is also a verb, meaning "to promote or advertise" — "Retail stores merchandise goods using displays, signs, or mannequins."
Vocabulary lists containing merchandise
Material World: Shopping Lingo
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 10
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This Week In Words: November 21–27, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Easing restrictions on operating a business also would allow the city to use its intellectual property to sell merchandise with city logos, as is done in other cities including New York, Yaroslavsky said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
But seeking a distinct, permanent identity for their fandom, dubbed "VIPs", band leader G-Dragon proposed a handheld yellow crown, setting the template for custom concert merchandise.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Ships bringing merchandise from Asia to Europe have been diverting from the Red Sea and the Suez and sailing instead around South Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
If you want to preserve the homely, mom-and-pop feeling of picking out your own merchandise and contemplating the value of a dollar before you enter your credit card info, Amazon is there for you.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
I wanted to plant myself in front of each plate glass window to study the displays of merchandise like other girls did.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
“When Salima merchandises a rack, she makes it feel like a full collection,” Mr. Cowan said.
From New York Times ● Mar. 9, 2022
“All Hail the Queen” reads the barrage of tweets, emails, taglines and signage on various merchandises including a t-shirt and a full deck of all Queen playing cards adorned with Stewart in royal regalia.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2021
She merchandises products through social media; she sells accessories for brands.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2020
He merchandises anecdotes with the craft of an attorney summing up for the jury.
From Time Magazine Archive
Traders and procurers from up and down the coast converged on Charleston, checking the merchandises eyes and joints and spines, wary of venereal distemper and other afflictions.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
He makes clear that the eventual titans of streetwear were scrappy entrepreneurs who merged graffiti, break dancing, hip-hop, punk rock and skateboarding, all gestures of rebellion they cleverly merchandised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Putin became the first fully merchandised Russian leader: T-shirts, calendars, coffee mugs and imagery such as playing with dogs or riding bare-chested atop a horse through the Russian forest.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2023
Your work subverts advertising and consumerism, yet your work has also been merchandised as object.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2022
“He’s the most merchandised figure in the world, and is the most recognized graphic figure in the history of the world,” Jilton said.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 17, 2019
In 1867 he moved to Union County and merchandised until 1884.
From History of Kershaw's Brigade by D. Augustus Dickert
Shoppers also are showing interest in products inspired by Levi’s archives, said Jana Henning, chief merchandising officer for the company’s women’s business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Those that can’t pivot to more popular merchandising themes are shutting down.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Cara Sylvester, Target’s chief merchandising officer, said on the media call that those changes represented the biggest reset of its dry-grocery section in more than a decade.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Away from the action the Games mascot Finnie proved a merchandising hit.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The poison of greed was already creeping into the innocent and laudable merchandising agreement.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
