merchant of death

noun

1. a company, nation, or person that sells military arms on the international market, usually to the highest bidder and without scruple or regard for political ramifications.

Word History and Origins

Origin of merchant of death¹

Phrase popularized by the book Merchants of Death (1934) by U.S. writers Helmut C. Engelbrecht (1895–1939) and Frank C. Hanighen (1899–1964)

Example Sentences

The man whose nickname was “the merchant of death” nodded his greeting and shook her hand.

Read more on Slate

One case in point is the Russian "Merchant of Death", Viktor Bout, an infamous arms dealer released from US custody as part of a prisoner exchange with US basketball star Brittney Griner.

Read more on BBC

The U.S., for instance, gave up Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout — his nickname is “The Merchant of Death” — in a swap with Moscow that brought home basketball star Brittney Griner, the most prominent American held abroad.

Read more on Seattle Times

As an arms trafficker, he operated in some of the world’s most dangerous places, becoming one of the world’s most wanted men and earning the nickname “Merchant of Death,” not to speak of a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S.

Read more on New York Times

Viktor Bout, once dubbed "the merchant of death" by the United States, served 10 years of a 25-year sentence in U.S. prisons on arms dealing charges until his release in the prisoner exchange with Griner, an Olympic gold medallist.

Read more on Reuters