merchant
merchant — adjective
1. relating to the activity of buying and selling goods, especially in large quanti
relating to the activity of buying and selling goods, especially in large quantities between different countries.
The port handled over two million tons of merchant cargo last year.
collocation: merchant cargo / merchant fleet
Gabriel found work on a merchant ship that sailed between Singapore and Cape Town.
The old merchant district still has narrow streets lined with warehouses.
collocation: merchant district / merchant quarter
A merchant bank in Singapore lent Wei's toy company enough money to open a second factory.
collocation: merchant bank
- merchant ship
- merchant fleet
- merchant bank
- merchant cargo
- merchant district
- merchant marine
- commercial
broader in meaning; covers all business activity, not just large-scale trading
- trading
focuses on the act of exchange rather than the business structure
Grammar Patterns
merchant + noun
Usage Note
This sense is almost always used before a noun (merchant ship, merchant bank, merchant fleet) and rarely appears as a predicate adjective.
Common Mistakes
2. relating to the ships and crews that carry goods for trade as a business, as opp
relating to the ships and crews that carry goods for trade as a business, as opposed to military vessels.
After the ceasefire, many merchant vessels were converted into passenger ferries.
collocation: merchant vessel
Haruto joined the merchant navy to see the world and earn a living.
collocation: merchant navy / merchant marine
The Egyptian navy provided protection for merchant ships traveling through the Suez Canal.
Merchant seamen on cargo ships from Shanghai to Hamburg spend three months away from their families.
collocation: merchant seaman / merchant sailor
- merchant marine
- merchant navy
- merchant vessel
- merchant ship
- merchant seaman
- merchant sailor
- commercial
broader term covering all business shipping, not just the maritime fleet
- civilian
distinguishes non-military ships without specifying their cargo role
- naval
naval vessels are warships; merchant vessels are for trade
Grammar Patterns
merchant + noun
Usage Note
Almost exclusively used in set phrases: merchant marine, merchant navy, merchant vessel. Not used to describe individual shipping companies or cargo operations.
Common Mistakes
merchant — noun
1. a person or company that buys goods in one place and sells them in another, ofte
a person or company that buys goods in one place and sells them in another, often across national borders, to make a profit.
Venetian merchants brought silk and spices from Asia to Europe during the Middle Ages.
Cyrus's family has been in the wine merchant business for three generations.
collocation: wine merchant / grain merchant / timber merchant
Mayumi worked as a timber merchant, buying wood from suppliers in Southeast Asia.
The merchant lost an entire cargo of tea when the ship sank off the coast of India.
Small spice merchants in Mumbai struggled to compete with the large international trading companies.
collocation: small merchant / independent merchant
- wine merchant
- timber merchant
- grain merchant
- coal merchant
- silk merchant
- independent merchant
- small merchant
- foreign merchant
- trader
broader term; can be small or large scale, local or international
- dealer
often implies a smaller scale or specific commodity (art dealer, car dealer)
- wholesaler
specifically large-scale, selling to retailers rather than end customers
Grammar Patterns
[type of goods] + merchant
Usage Note
This sense refers to wholesale or international trading, not to retail shopkeepers (see noun sense 3 'SHOPKEEPER'). The type of goods often appears before the word: wine merchant, coal merchant, silk merchant.
Common Mistakes
2. a person who is known for being heavily involved in a particular type of activit
a person who is known for being heavily involved in a particular type of activity, especially one that other people find annoying or unpleasant.
The neighbours called her a gossip merchant because she was always spreading rumours.
collocation: gossip merchant
The press labeled the politician a panic merchant after his alarming speeches about the economy.
collocation: panic merchant / doom merchant
Nikos is a speed merchant who loves taking his sports car out on empty highways.
collocation: speed merchant
A gloom merchant at the office, Sade predicts failure for every new project the team proposes.
- speed merchant
- gossip merchant
- panic merchant
- doom merchant
- gloom merchant
- enthusiast
neutral or positive; lacks the critical tone of 'merchant' in this sense
- fanatic
stronger and more negative; implies excessive devotion
- addict
suggests a compulsive habit rather than a chosen interest
Grammar Patterns
[descriptive noun] + merchant
Usage Note
Always used with a preceding descriptive noun (speed merchant, gossip merchant, panic merchant). Informal and often critical in tone. Does not imply actual trading or commerce.
Common Mistakes
3. a person who owns or manages a shop where things are sold directly to anyone who
a person who owns or manages a shop where things are sold directly to anyone who walks in to buy them.
The local merchant offered to donate food to the school's fundraising event.
collocation: local merchant
Zuri bought fresh vegetables from the merchant at the corner market each morning.
Small merchants in the town centre are struggling against competition from the new shopping mall.
collocation: small merchant / local merchant
The furniture merchant allowed Christopher to pay for the sofa in monthly instalments.
- local merchant
- small merchant
- corner merchant
- village merchant
- market merchant
- shopkeeper
the most common modern term; sounds more natural in everyday speech
- retailer
broader term that includes both small shops and large chain stores
- storekeeper
mainly used in American English
- customer
buys from the merchant rather than selling
Usage Note
In modern English, 'shopkeeper' or 'retailer' is more common than 'merchant' for this sense. 'Merchant' may sound slightly old-fashioned in everyday conversation for small retail outlets.
Common Mistakes
Someone who always says that bad things will happen in the future.
The doom merchant on TV said the economy would collapse next year.
Why do you listen to that doom merchant? He is never right.
A person who constantly warns about future disasters or failures.
Maya called him a prophet of doom after his gloomy weather forecast.
Our teacher is no prophet of doom; she encourages us to try.
merchant — verb
1. to buy and sell a particular type of goods as a business activity, especially ac
to buy and sell a particular type of goods as a business activity, especially across national borders.
The family merchanted fine Italian leather in shops across Europe for over a century.
grammar pattern: merchant + [goods] (transitive)
Small trading firms in Ghana merchant locally made crafts to buyers in Europe and America.
Our company merchants handwoven carpets from Afghanistan to customers around the world.
For centuries the port merchanted spices, silks, and precious stones from the Far East.
- merchant spices
- merchant silk
- merchant goods
- merchant wares
- buy
purchasing goods rather than selling them
Grammar Patterns
merchant + [goods]
Usage Note
Very rare in modern English. The simple present forms (merchants) may sound archaic. The verbs 'trade in', 'deal in', or 'sell' are preferred in everyday use.
Common Mistakes
2. to act as a merchant by buying and selling goods as one's regular work.
to act as a merchant by buying and selling goods as one's regular work.
Eve merchants in handmade pottery at weekend markets across the region.
grammar pattern: merchant in + [goods] (intransitive)
Vikram used to merchant in rare books before his shop closed.
During the pandemic a few small firms merchanted in medical supplies.
Nicholas merchants in antique furniture but prefers mid-century modern designs.
- merchant in spices
- merchant in wine
- merchant in textiles
Grammar Patterns
merchant in + [goods]
Usage Note
Even rarer than the transitive verb sense. Almost always followed by 'in' and a type of goods. Considered archaic in most modern contexts; 'deal in' or 'trade' are more natural alternatives.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- merchandisenounB1
- merchandiseverbB2
- mercantileadjectiveC1
- commercenounB1
- commercialadjectiveB1
- commercialnounB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Trader is the broadest term, covering anyone who buys and sells, from stock market traders to street market vendors. Dealer is more specific to a particular commodity (art dealer, car dealer) and usually implies smaller-scale, often physical, transactions. Wholesaler narrows the meaning to large-volume sales to businesses, not end customers — a wholesaler might supply goods to many shopkeepers. Shopkeeper (or retailer) is the opposite end: selling one item at a time to the public. A merchant historically sits between the wholesaler and the importer — buying goods across borders and selling in bulk to smaller traders. For example: a wine merchant imports cases from France and sells them to restaurants and shops, while the shopkeeper sells individual bottles to customers.
Common collocations
Nouns
- wine merchant
- timber merchant
- grain merchant
- silk merchant
- coal merchant
- cotton merchant
- local merchant
- foreign merchant
- small merchant
- independent merchant
Phrases
- merchant of Venice
- merchant of death
Prepositions
- merchant of
- merchant in
Etymology
The word 'merchant' traces back through Middle English 'merchaunt' to Old French 'merchant', which came from the Latin verb 'mercari' (to trade). The Latin root 'merx' (goods, merchandise) is also the source of 'commerce', 'mercantile', and 'merchandise'. The figurative sense ('speed merchant', 'gossip merchant') emerged in 19th-century British English, originally in sporting slang.