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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

• nontrader noun
• tradership noun
• undertrader noun

Etymology

Origin of trader

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

Example Sentences

A trader at the capital's main wholesale market, Priyantha Sudharshana Silva, 53, is not blaming the administration for the crisis.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Lemssouguer and his wife, a former trader, bought the country estate in late 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

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

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

According to the BBC, one trader made $436,000 on a $32,000 bet on the timing of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

Heh-heh-heh, c’mon, we’d never do that, the trader started to say, but Danny, though perfectly polite, was insistent.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• dealer
• merchant
• seller
• stockbroker
• trafficker