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.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“All new payment types start with merchant acceptance,” said Richard Crone, chief executive of Crone Consulting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
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
Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was born in Bridgetown on 28 July 1936, but was only five when his merchant seaman father was killed in World War Two, leaving his mother Thelma to raise half-a-dozen children.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
He says the move shows Shopify wants to reinvest in the partner channel, “particularly as the company pushes further upmarket and competes for more complex merchant implementations across Plus, POS, and B2B use cases.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“It was a horse-drawn cart. Donated by a Victorian merchant named George Moore to ‘diffuse good literature among the rural population.’”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
“The difference of Insurance is such that every Merchant Orders their Goods shipped in British Bottoms.”
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
AUS Merchant Services admitted its compliance program failed to prevent illegal sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 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
Many of the leading Whigs dined daily at the Queen, and one man after another stopped at their table to laugh over Merchant Lyte’s public discomfiture that morning in court.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
The merger could help lower processing fees, spurring more merchants and consumers to use online payment services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Rewards credit cards have drawn criticism from consumer advocates and lawmakers over the high fees merchants must pay to accept them—and the knock-on effect that has on prices, even for shoppers who pay in cash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Lopez gets calls from exasperated merchants dealing with vandalism and with people blocking their storefronts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Those merchants were among companies that had for years used a U.S. trade provision known as de minimis to ship orders of $800 or less directly to American consumers from overseas duty free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Tailors, leather workers, cobblers, tanners, weavers, spice dealers, peddlers, merchants, silversmiths, goldsmiths—a whole wonderful community that lived and worked together and flourished—are being forced to leave.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
