merchant
1 of 3noun
mer·chant ˈmər-chənt 
1
: a buyer and seller of commodities for profit : trader
2
: the operator of a retail business : storekeeper
3
: one that is noted for a particular quality or activity : specialist
a speed merchant on the base paths
merchant
2 of 3adjective
1
: of, relating to, used in, or engaged in commerce
The city's reputation, though, is as a merchant city in this nation historically known for its traders.
Peter Theroux
Peter Theroux2
: of, relating to, or used in a merchant marine
part of the merchant fleet
One hundred years ago, a group of 11 senators blocked a bill that would have allowed U.S. merchant ships to arm themselves against German U-boats as World War I raged in Europe. James Hohmann
James Hohmannmerchant
3 of 3verb
merchanted; merchanting; merchants
transitive verb
: to deal or trade in
intransitive verb
archaic : to deal or trade as a merchant
Synonyms
Noun
- dealer
- merchandiser
- trader
- tradesman
- trafficker
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Merchants traveled hundreds of miles to trade in the city. a family of wealthy merchants The town's merchants closed their shops during the parade. Prizes were given by local merchants.
Recent Examples on the Web WSJ, 12 Sep. 2022 Anna married an Indiana dry goods merchant named Conrad Miller. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 Located in the McIntyre Historic District, the Ropes Mansion is an iconic building and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for having housed Nathaniel Ropes, a famous merchant and attorney in the 1700s. Seventeen, 6 Sep. 2022 True to its name, meaning spice merchant, spice blends and other ingredients are for sale. New York Times, 2 Sep. 2022 How, then, are the kind merchant Khalifa, his childhood friend Ilyas and Ilyas’ baby sister Afiya ever to walk with strength and confidence? Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 Two hours after speaking with Ars Technica on Thursday, a $44 charge was attempted against one of Fuchs' cards from a Shopify merchant, but it was declined. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 19 Aug. 2022 Since the two e-wallets are non-interoperable, customers can't initiate a payment using their WeChat mobile app and have the money deposited in a merchant's Alipay account. Percy Hung, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Faneuil Hall was named after Peter Faneuil, an 18th-century merchant who offered to build Boston a market building in 1740. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 12 Aug. 2022 Tope Alake, Bloomberg.com, 23 Dec. 2020 So basically merchant refineries should not be the ones that have to purchase these credits or blend the ethanol. Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, 23 Aug. 2017 See More
Noun
Visa, Mastercard and American Express will add a new merchant category for firearms retailers, a victory for gun-control advocates who have pressed the financial industry to do more to help curb mass shootings. WSJ, 12 Sep. 2022 Anna married an Indiana dry goods merchant named Conrad Miller. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 Located in the McIntyre Historic District, the Ropes Mansion is an iconic building and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for having housed Nathaniel Ropes, a famous merchant and attorney in the 1700s. Seventeen, 6 Sep. 2022 True to its name, meaning spice merchant, spice blends and other ingredients are for sale. New York Times, 2 Sep. 2022 How, then, are the kind merchant Khalifa, his childhood friend Ilyas and Ilyas’ baby sister Afiya ever to walk with strength and confidence? Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 Two hours after speaking with Ars Technica on Thursday, a $44 charge was attempted against one of Fuchs' cards from a Shopify merchant, but it was declined. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 19 Aug. 2022 Since the two e-wallets are non-interoperable, customers can't initiate a payment using their WeChat mobile app and have the money deposited in a merchant's Alipay account. Percy Hung, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Faneuil Hall was named after Peter Faneuil, an 18th-century merchant who offered to build Boston a market building in 1740. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 12 Aug. 2022 Adjective
OPay currently processes about 80% of bank transfers among mobile money operators in Nigeria and 20% of non-merchant point of sales transactions, Akpan said. Tope Alake, Bloomberg.com, 23 Dec. 2020 So basically merchant refineries should not be the ones that have to purchase these credits or blend the ethanol. Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, 23 Aug. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English marchant, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *mercatant-, mercatans, from present participle of mercatare to trade, frequentative of Latin mercari — more at market
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Phrases Containing merchant
Kids Definition
merchant
noun
mer·chant ˈmər-chənt
1
: a person who buys and sells goods especially on a large scale or with foreign countries
2
: storekeeper sense 1
Legal Definition
merchant
noun
mer·chant ˈmər-chənt
: a person who trades in goods especially of a certain kind and possesses expertise in the area of the goods and the practices of trading in them or who employs others with such expertise
a warranty that the goods shall be merchantable is implied in a contract for their sale if the seller is a merchant with respect to goods of that kind Uniform Commercial Code
Uniform Commercial Codemerchant
noun
as in trader
a buyer and seller of goods for profit free trade agreements that are favored by merchants on both sides of the border Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- trader
- dealer
- retailer
- businessman
- buyer
- tradesman
- vendor
- purchaser
- trafficker
- entrepreneur
- shopkeeper
- storekeeper
- seller
- peddler
- merchandiser
- marketer
- distributor
- supplier
- wholesaler
- pedlar
- provider
- huckster
- vender
- hawker
- enterpriser
- middleman
- monopolist
- provisioner
- hustler
- purveyor
- jobber
- engrosser