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merchant

merchant

203 2.1
A person or company that buys and sells goods, often in shops
  • noun
  • /ˈmɜːrʧənt/
translation icon : comerciante
  • As a successful merchant, she imported exotic goods from around the world.
  • merchants in the market
  • street merchants
  • traveling merchants

For each payment that acquirers help merchants route, they charge a fee.

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Examples

  • She was a daughter of a powerful Danish merchant.

  • He was a very well-known merchant.

  • So, but I started this business coming from being a wine merchant in New Jersey.

  • In another time, the vessel would have been a merchant ship, following a busy trade route.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I'm a silk merchant, not a money lender.

  • Without their consent, colonial merchants begin to organize a boycott of British goods.

  • In 1755, records indicate a merchant named John Mitchelson was using it as a shop, possibly selling furniture.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The Greeks transacted with gold, and so did merchants throughout all the medieval ages.

  • Throughout the city, merchants open their shops to sell tires, silk, or pirated DVDs.

    Academic text (2011)
  • In the 1790s, an influx of German Jewish merchants created a core of affluent, educated individuals.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

trader
vsmerchant
279 2.1

A person or company that buys and sells things to make money

is broader, covering large scale trade and retail business activity
vendor
vsmerchant
257 2.0

A person or company that sells things, for example at a market

is broader, including formal businesses and large scale trading
seller
vsmerchant
257 1.0

A person or company that offers goods for money

often implies larger organised buying and selling, not only simple sales
dealer
vsmerchant
227 2.7

A person or business that buys and sells items like art and cars

covers general trade activity beyond specialist buying and selling
retailer
vsmerchant
205 2.4

A shop or company that sells goods to people for home use

also covers larger scale sellers and wholesale traders, not only retail
shopkeeper
vsmerchant
31 1.9

A person who owns or runs a small store and sells goods to customers

includes that retail role but also larger trading companies and wholesalers
merchandiser
vsmerchant
3 4.5

A person or company that buys and sells goods in shops

is more general, including wholesale and large scale trading roles
tradesman
vsmerchant
  • UK
1 3.7

A person who runs a shop that sells goods or services

is not limited by gender and covers any scale of buying and selling
marketeer
vsmerchant
  • UK
1 4.2

A person who sells goods at a market stall

covers both market selling and larger commercial trading activities
tradesperson
vsmerchant
  • UK
3.5

A person who buys and sells goods in a shop or market

is wider, also covering larger trading companies beyond small shops
vender
vsmerchant
  • US
1.6

A person or business that sells to customers

tends to imply larger or more organised trade activity as well
tradeswoman
vsmerchant
  • UK
6.4

A woman who owns or runs a shop that sells things

is the neutral, wide term covering all scales and business types
market keeper
vsmerchant
  • UK
4.8

A person who runs a market stall or shop and sells goods to customers

extends beyond market stalls to include larger and organised trade
merchanter
vsmerchant
  • Archaic
8.1

A person or company that buys, sells, and moves goods

focuses more narrowly on buying and selling without transport duties

Compounds

A ship that carries goods to sell

A ship that carries goods or passengers for business and is not part of a navy

A person or business that buys and sells wine to customers

merchant of death
  • Offensive
1 9.5

A person who sells weapons to make money, often causing violence

1 5.1

People who work on a country's commercial ships rather than in the navy

merchant bank
  • Specialized
1 5.0

A bank that helps businesses accept card payments and gives money after fees

1 5.5

A person or shop that sells rugs like Persian carpets

dole merchant
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who makes money by using others' government welfare money

law merchant
  • Archaic
8.8

A set of rules traders use to guide trade and settle disputes

A country's commercial ships used to carry goods or passengers, not military ships

9.9

A person who trades goods with distant countries and takes big risks

A person or business that buys and sells grains like wheat

A person or company that sells goods to people in small amounts for them to use

porn merchant
  • Offensive
8.9

A person who sells adult pictures or films, sometimes illegally, for example to minors

A person who makes or sells salt as their main business

speed merchant
  • Informal
7.0

A person who drives very fast, often in cars

How Big

wholesaler
22 3.5
merchant
203 2.1
shopkeeper
31 1.9
hawker
  • UK
4 7.4

Surface Forms

merchant singular
merchants plural

Etymology

Merchant comes from an old root merc- meaning 'trade' or 'buy'. You can see the same root in merchandise and market, so a merchant is someone who trades or sells goods.