Merlot

American  

[mur-loh, mer-loh] / ˈmɜr loʊ, mɛrˈloʊ /

noun

1. a dark-blue grape used in winemaking, especially in the Bordeaux region of France and in areas of Italy, Switzerland, and California.

---

Merlot British  

/ ˈmɜːləʊ /

noun

1. a black grape grown in France and now throughout the wine-producing world, used, often in a blend, for making wine

2. any of various wines made from this grape

---

Etymology

Origin of Merlot

< French: literally, young blackbird, derivative of merle merle ¹, probably alluding to the color of the grape

Example Sentences

For a wine newbie looking for something to pair with chicken, he suggested a fruity Merlot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Native plants pop up across the property including six Joshua trees, five olive trees and nine Ocotillo cacti, as well as vines that produce grape varietals such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2021

Meghan wore a Merlot trouser outfit to the appearance, while Harry wore khakis and a casual gray Henley.

From Washington Times • Sep. 24, 2021

Merlot thinks Instagram has something to do with it — even if your piece in Seattle gets buffed tomorrow, it can live forever, from Paris to Tokyo, on the internet.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2020

The marks on the pages, the “squiggles” as Merlot referred to them, arranged themselves into shapes.

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo