mercantile

adjective mer·can·tile \ ˈmər-kən-ˌtēl , -ˌtī(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 4 Jul 2018

Definition of mercantile

1 : of or relating to merchants or trading

mercantile families

mercantile businesses

2 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of mercantilism

mercantile system

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Recent Examples of mercantile from the Web

If calls continue, the landlord must appear before the commissioners, who decide whether the owner’s mercantile license should be revoked.

— avalon r. zoppo, Philly.com, "Senior Week in Wildwood: A money-making machine that residents love to hate," 20 June 2018
These hints of private realms beckon most alluringly from the Tiber River-adjacent Regola neighborhood, known since the Renaissance as the center for mercantile activities from plate-making to leather-stitching.

— chiara barzini, New York Times, "The Secret Atelier Behind a Roman Boutique," 16 May 2018
The Hassayampa was built in 1927 by a consortium of leading citizens who thought their mineral-rich mountain town needed an elegant hotel to anchor its banking and mercantile efforts.

— charles fleming, latimes.com, "Hiking and history are on display on a weekend escape to Prescott, Ariz.," 26 Apr. 2018
While Ree's been growing her blog into a lifestyle empire, which now includes a Food Network show, mercantile, line at Walmart, and the new Boarding House hotel, Hyacinth has been by her side through it all.

— jessica leigh mattern, Country Living, "Ree Drummond and Her BFF Hyacinth Kane's Friendship Story Is So Sweet," 19 Apr. 2018
Like the victims of 9/11, the slaves of New York were actors in the great mercantile drama that daily animates the city.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "New York City Would Really Rather Not Talk About Its Slavery-Loving Past," 15 Apr. 2015
The initiatives quickly spread to Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Saks & Company, Bloomingdale’s, B. Altman & Co., Jordan Marsh and other shopping emporiums whose names have passed into mercantile heaven.

— ralph blumenthal and sandra roff, New York Times, "Attention 1916 Shoppers: The Doctor Is In," 4 Mar. 2018
The historic city center of Bikan, a 10-minute walk from the station, is a time warp to the Edo era, when its namesake river formed an important cornerstone of Japanese mercantile trails; the area is still car-free.

— Time, "4 Places to Visit in Japan Before Everyone Else Does," 17 Jan. 2018
The mercantile power arrayed against political democracy.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Why Do the Koch Brothers Want a Convention of States?," 8 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mercantile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.