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trader

American  
[trey-der] / ˈtreɪ dər /

noun

  1. a person who trades; a merchant or businessperson.

  2. a ship used in trade, especially foreign trade.

  3. a member of a stock exchange trading privately and not on behalf of customers.

trader British  
/ ˈtreɪdə /

noun

  1. a person who engages in trade; dealer; merchant

  2. a vessel regularly employed in foreign or coastal trade

  3. stock exchange a member who operates mainly on his or her own account rather than for customers' accounts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nontrader noun
  • tradership noun
  • undertrader noun

Etymology

Origin of trader

First recorded in 1575–85; trade + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Members of the Hearst and Soros families own homes there, along with legendary commodities trader Helmut Weymar and Amos Hostetter, a Boston-based billionaire and philanthropist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

In that camp is a senior trader at Goldman Sachs, Rich Privorotsky, who sees a major risk ahead as the market tries to “move past Iran.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Luke Cannon, a trader on the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid, said he expected the deadline to be extended, or that things will continue in the current status quo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

“The bottom could be in, in that case,” says veteran trader Rick Hodel.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Danny Moses, who became Eisman’s head trader, came third.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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.