merchant

1 of 3

noun

mer·​chant ˈmər-chənt 

1

somewhat old-fashioned : 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 [=very fast runner] on the base paths

merchant

2 of 3

adjective

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

2

: 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

merchant

3 of 3

verb

merchanted; merchanting; merchants

transitive verb

: to deal or trade in

intransitive verb

archaic : to deal or trade as a merchant

Synonyms of merchant

Noun

• trader
• dealer

Examples of merchant in a Sentence

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

Noun

Farsad Law Office regularly represents business owners dealing with SBA loans, merchant cash advances, business credit lines, and significant tax liabilities involving the IRS, California Franchise Tax Board, CDTFA, and EDD. —Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026

According to Chase, that includes grocery stores, specialty food stores or delivery service merchants that classify as grocery store merchants. —Ryley Amond, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026

Adjective

Synergy’s gift cards were part of a multi-merchant network that allowed customers to buy cards redeemable at a variety of restaurants. —Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026

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

Verb

Ironically, that is precisely what happened to merchant banking in the years after Schroders sold out to Citi, with the emergence of specialist advisory boutiques like Gleacher Shacklock, Ondra Partners and Robey Warshaw (which sold itself in July last year to Evercore Partners for $196 million). —Ian King, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026

This means that Amex charges merchants higher discount rates than Visa and Mastercard (about 3%). —Trefis Team, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024

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

• commission merchant
• doom merchant
• law merchant
• merchant bank
• merchant marine
• merchant seaman
• merchant ship
• speed merchant

Kids Definition

merchant

1 of 2 noun

mer·​chant ˈmər-chənt 

1

: a buyer and seller of goods for profit

especially : one who carries on trade on a large scale or with foreign countries

2

: storekeeper sense 2

merchant

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or used in trade

a merchant ship

2

: of or relating to a merchant marine

Etymology

Noun

Middle English marchant "merchant," from early French marcheant (same meaning), derived from Latin mercari "to trade," from merc-, merx "merchandise" — related to commerce, market

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