merchandise

1 of 2

noun

mer·​chan·​dise ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz How to pronounce merchandise (audio)
-ˌdīs
1
: the commodities or goods that are bought and sold in business : wares
sells a variety of spring merchandise
2
archaic : the occupation of a merchant : trade

merchandise

2 of 2

verb

mer·​chan·​dise ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz How to pronounce merchandise (audio)
variants or less commonly merchandize
merchandised also merchandized; merchandising also merchandizing

transitive verb

1
: to buy and sell in business
carpets from Iran, India, or Taiwan are merchandised along with Italian leather goods and Spanish ceramicsIrving Kolodin
2
: to promote for or as if for sale
merchandise a movie star

intransitive verb

archaic : to carry on commerce : trade
merchandiser noun

Examples of merchandise in a Sentence

Noun The merchandise will arrive by truck at noon. He's developed his own brand of merchandise. Verb The political candidates are being merchandised to the public. the now-familiar practice of stores merchandising goods at dramatically lower prices on the day after Thanksgiving
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Moo Deng, the viral baby pygmy hippo, has inspired memes, merchandise and fan art. Leslie Katz, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 Beyond videos, the company produces books, mobile games, board games and toys, and merchandise, and has inked several retail and food and beverage partnerships. Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
Under the stewardship of merchandising maestro Mickey Drexler, Gap hit its cultural peak in the 1990s, at the height of American mall culture, as the go-to option for the dominant American office uniform of the time: khakis and an Oxford shirt. Cathleen Chen, CNN, 2 Oct. 2024 Merchandise Sales: Another sizable increase was with merchandising sales. Brad Adgate, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for merchandise 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'merchandise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English marchaundise, from Anglo-French marchandise, from marcheant

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of merchandise was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near merchandise

Cite this Entry

“Merchandise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merchandise. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

merchandise

1 of 2 noun
mer·​chan·​dise ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz How to pronounce merchandise (audio)
-ˌdīs
: the goods that are bought and sold in trade

merchandise

2 of 2 verb
ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz
merchandised; merchandising
: to buy and sell : trade
especially : to try to improve sales of goods or services by attractive presentation and publicity
merchandiser noun

More from Merriam-Webster on merchandise

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