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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

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

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

That formula tended to reduce the price a merchant paid to advertise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

“In a market where almost every scaled operator is sold out, Meta is a very rare potential merchant seller of surplus capacity,” Mahaney wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

With more than 320,000 seafarers, India makes up a major part of the global merchant shipping workforce.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

The company’s merchant network also continued to expand, surging 54% from last year to about 1.21 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

If this merchant couple did agree to a patronage, it would add not only prestige but new revenue for the zoo.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

“While demand remains strong, we continue to see variability tied to customer timing, mix sensitivity, working capital intensity and customer concentration,” Asiya Merchant, technology equity analyst at Citigroup, wrote in a note on Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

“It could be a limited rollout similar to Vision Pro due to supply constraints and possible hardware challenges,” Merchant noted.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

In recent years some Celtic fans have been involved in anti-social behaviour after gathering in their thousands in the Merchant City and Trongate areas of Glasgow.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

In the interval between quitting the Merchant Marine and entering the Army, Perry had made peace with his father, who, when his son left him, drifted down to Nevada, then back to Alaska.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Others are prosperous merchants in the fabric and carpet trade.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

The boards “share Uber’s view that the combination has the potential to accelerate product innovation and create significant additional opportunities for employees, customers, merchants, riders, drivers, and other stakeholders,” Delivery Hero said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"Even a small fee could matter if it changes the incentives of small merchants operating on thin margins," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Management attributed the momentum to traction with larger merchants and self-onboarded sellers alike.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Hazel moved into the crowd, checking out the merchants and their carts.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

Related Words

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