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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.

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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The ability to respond to incidents such as mine hits or missile attacks would require close communication between all involved nations and merchant ships, possibly carrying liaison officers onboard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 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

The grandson of a carpet merchant, he likened negotiations to bargaining in the Iranian bazaar, where endless haggling using different arguments brings results.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

The IMO council said in its declaration that members "strongly condemned the threats and attacks against vessels and purported closure of the Strait... by Iran, adversely affecting merchant and commercial vessels".

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

Off the coast of Greenland, Kane and his crew were finally rescued by a passing merchant ship and later transferred to the American rescue vessel.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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.