merchant
Americannoun
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a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
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a storekeeper; retailer.
a local merchant who owns a store on Main Street.
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Chiefly British. a wholesaler.
adjective
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pertaining to or used for trade or commerce.
a merchant ship.
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pertaining to the merchant marine.
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Steelmaking. (of bars and ingots) of standard shape or size.
noun
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a person engaged in the purchase and sale of commodities for profit, esp on international markets; trader
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a person engaged in retail trade
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(esp in historical contexts) any trader
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derogatory a person dealing or involved in something undesirable
a gossip merchant
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(modifier)
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of the merchant navy
a merchant sailor
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of or concerned with trade
a merchant ship
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verb
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Nobody’s buying. It may take three-four months for things to come back,” said merchant Jagdish Soni.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
It means current attacks on military targets will go on, Iranian retaliation will continue, and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to most merchant traffic.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he is confident that more merchant vessels will soon be able to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
When you set up biometric authentication to confirm your identity when paying for purchases, a digital translation of your face or palm, say, is created and stored by the merchant or a third party.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
“Rasseem, we have guests,” said the first merchant.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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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.