a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
a storekeeper; retailer.
a local merchant who owns a store on Main Street.
Chiefly British. a wholesaler.
pertaining to or used for trade or commerce.
a merchant ship.
pertaining to the merchant marine.
Steelmaking. (of bars and ingots) of standard shape or size.
a person engaged in the purchase and sale of commodities for profit, esp on international markets; trader
a person engaged in retail trade
(esp in historical contexts) any trader
derogatory a person dealing or involved in something undesirable
a gossip merchant
(modifier)
of the merchant navy
a merchant sailor
of or concerned with trade
a merchant ship
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The restoration on the Mills Act Property, which provides tax incentives to upkeep historic homes, has required an ecosystem of experts, including a colorist and curatorial rug merchant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Asked whether Iran would impose tolls on merchant vessels passing through the vital waterway, Caine said it was a “hypothetical” scenario — a response Kennedy rejected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the multi award-winning and critically acclaimed BBC sitcom was set at Slough paper merchant Wernham-Hogg.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The country is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping, sending out hundreds of thousands of seafarers to work worldwide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Why else would a merchant feel so charitable?
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
By 2005, when the trade publication Catalog Age changed its name to Multichannel Merchant to reflect the rise of e-commerce, even legacy brands like Lands’ End and L.L.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
AUS Merchant Services admitted its compliance program failed to prevent illegal sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
With prices increasing worldwide, Apple is “well positioned to capture switchers” when legacy or entry-level iPhones fall into this midrange price band through promotions or subsidies, Merchant wrote.
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
“That’s what the Merchant Council seemed to think. Or maybe they just want to make sure Yul-Bayur doesn’t give the formula to anyone else.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
The deal would bring together major players in the payments world—PayPal’s vast network of consumers and recognizable brands, and Stripe’s business providing transaction-processing infrastructure for merchants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Lopez gets calls from exasperated merchants dealing with vandalism and with people blocking their storefronts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
A section within the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, called the Durbin amendment, caps fees large banks can collect from merchants on debit-card transactions, if they are routed through an outside network.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Along the Pacific coast, such values clashed with those of the merchants and seafarers who had relocated from the American northeast.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
This 1640 painting by Jacob Marrel is from a catalog used by flower merchants to advertise newly cultivated varieties for sale.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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.
