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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.

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

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

On the threat to merchant ships, Trump projected uncertainty.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

In the meantime, could allies be persuaded to send ships to escort merchant vessels through the vital waterway?

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

A merchant marine officer named Frank Worsley, a part-Maori New Zealander who had been a sailor since the age of sixteen, was to captain the ship.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

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.