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• merchant
  merchant

  noun

  a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
• Merchant
  Merchant

  noun

  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)

merchant

American  

[mur-chuhnt] / ˈmɜr tʃənt /

noun

• merchants
  plural

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.

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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

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verb

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

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)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outmerchant
  noun
• merchant-like
  adjective
• merchantlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• merchants
  plural

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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

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Explanation

A merchant is someone who works in or owns a retail business and sells goods. In Paris you can stroll from merchant to merchant, buying a loaf of bread in one shop and a wedge of cheese in another. The noun merchant has its Latin roots in the word merchari, meaning to trade. Other words from the same root include "market," "merchandise," and "mercantile." In some areas, independent merchants have banded together to combine advertising dollars and compete against malls and big box stores. You should ask your neighborhood book merchant if they've considered joining a group like this.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

merchant Merchant merchants

A merchant ship has sunk after drones hit two vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Retailers that successfully provide product catalogs, inventory feeds, merchant data, store information, reviews and other structured content to AI agents may gain a significant advantage,” the analysts said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

Retailers including Gap, Walmart and Best Buy have publicized partnerships with Muse, while Shopify said Muse will be able to buy from every merchant on its platform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The artist was Jeremias Schultz, a Berliner born in 1723 who resettled in the Netherlands and established himself as a painter of the Dutch colonial empire’s merchant class.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

By then, Ona had made plans to marry John Staines, a free black man and merchant seaman.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

This was a break from the tightly coiffed styling of earlier period productions, from Merchant Ivory films to Ang Lee’s 1995 “Sense and Sensibility,” in which Kate Winslet charmed as a put-together Marianne.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Merchant, Mathew, Pabon and Bermingham have all served various jail terms.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Guidance embeds supply constraints leaving potential for upside,” Asiya Merchant, director of tech equity research, wrote in a note Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

“The difference of Insurance is such that every Merchant Orders their Goods shipped in British Bottoms.”

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Johnny decided he would start at the top of the merchants and work down, only, of course, skipping Merchant Lyte.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Not especially keen swimmers, they used their mousing skills to secure passage on world-traveling ships piloted by merchants and explorers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Local merchants and residents said Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure, also invited them to a party to thank them for their patience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

“The landscape for merchants in e-commerce is becoming increasingly complex,” McPadden said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

It acts as a consultant of sorts, according to Hoffmeister, advising merchants on inventory depth, item descriptions and where to sell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

It was in a small village built right up to the road, a way station for merchants.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

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Related Words

• broker
• dealer
• exporter
• operator
• retailer
• seller
• shipper
• shopkeeper
• trader
• trafficker
• vendor
• wholesaler

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