merchant
English · Thesaurus
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merchant¹
- /ˈmɜːtʃənt/ UK
- /ˈmɝt͡ʃənt/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃənt
Where it comes from
From Middle English marchaunt, from Anglo-Norman marchaunt, from mercans, from the verb mercor (“to trade, deal, sell”).
noun merchants · marchant · merchaunt
-
A person who traffics in commodities for profit.
Similar: trader
- The owner or operator of a retail business.
- A trading vessel; a merchantman. Every day, some sailor's wife, / The masters of some merchant, and the merchant, / Have just our theme of woe.
- Someone who is noted for a stated type of activity or behaviour. He's some kind of speed merchant — he drives way too fast.
- A supercargo.
Similar: chandler, chapman, copreman, dealer, huckster, haggler, hawker, merchant, monger, peddler, retailer, salesperson, seller, shopkeeper, shoppie, storekeep, trader, vendor · Opposite: purchaser
verb merchants · merchanting · merchanted · marchant · merchaunt
- As a resident of a region, to buy goods from a non-resident and sell them to another non-resident. a merchanting service
Merchant²
proper noun
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: merchandiser, seller, dealer, vendor, retailer, salesman, trader, shopkeeper, trading, trade, market, businessman, storekeeper, businessperson, commerce, business
Translations
Every language
noun person who traffics in commodities
| Español | comerciante, mercader, mercadante, mercante, mercador (disused), mercadero (disused) |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 상인 sang'in |
| 日本語 | 商人 shōnin |
| 中文 | 商人 shāngrén, 商家 shāngjiā |
| हिन्दी | व्यापारी vyāpārī, सौदागर saudāgar |
| Kiswahili | mfanyabiashara |
| Português | comerciante, mercador |
| Français | marchand, marchande |
| Deutsch | Kaufmann, Kauffrau, Händler |
| Italiano | mercante, mercantessa, commerciante |
| Ελληνικά | έμπορος émporos, έμπορας émporas, εμπόρισσα empórissa, εμπορευόμενος emporevómenos |
| Română | negustor, comerciant |
| Русский | торго́вец torgóvec, купе́ц kupéc |
| Tiếng Việt | thương gia |
| العربية | تَاجِر tājir, تَاجِرَة tājira |
| עברית | סוֹחֵר sokhér |
noun the owner or operator of a retail business
| Italiano | commerciante, negoziante |
|---|
Talk about this word "merchant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/merchant. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. merchant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/merchant "merchant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/merchant.Cite this
@misc{merchant_2026,
title = {merchant},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/merchant},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
