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
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 Hohmann
merchanted; merchanting; merchants
: to deal or trade in
archaic
: to deal or trade as a merchant
Synonyms
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
Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Many investments were backed by the industry’s wealthy merchants, including the Galerie des Champs-Elysées shopping arcade.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024
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 all Example Sentences for merchant 
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Noun
The number of companies exceeding RMB 100 million in sales increased by over 400% YoY, while more than 17,000 merchants saw their order volumes increase fivefold compared to 2023’s event.
—Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Many investments were backed by the industry’s wealthy merchants, including the Galerie des Champs-Elysées shopping arcade.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024
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 all Example Sentences for merchant
Dictionary Entries Near merchant
Cite this Entry
“Merchant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merchant. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
merchant
2 of 2 adjective1
: of, relating to, or used in trade
a merchant ship
2
: of or relating to a merchant marine
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
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