merchant

Pluralmerchants

Formsmerchants, merchanting, merchanted

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A person who buys and sells goods to make money.

   Like a person at a market who buys goods cheaply and sells them to others for more money.

   The spice merchant sold pepper and cinnamon at the market.

   Merchants traveled long distances to trade rare goods.

   Similartrader

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A person who owns or runs a store.

   Like the person who owns the corner store where you buy snacks.

   The local merchant gave us a discount on shoes.

   Merchants on Main Street decorated their windows for the holidays.

   Similarretailer, shopkeeper, seller, vendor, storekeeper

3. 3
   nounderogatorycolloquialcountable

   A person known for doing something a lot, usually said in a mean way.

   That doom merchant keeps telling us the team will lose.

   The office gossip merchants spread the news within minutes.

   Similarmonger, peddler

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountable

   A ship used to carry goods for trade.

   The merchant lay at anchor in the bay, her hold full of grain.

   Enemy privateers attacked the merchants crossing the narrow strait.

   Similarmerchantman, trader

   Note
5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To buy goods from outsiders and sell them to other outsiders for profit.

   Like a person in the middle who buys from one stranger and sells to another for profit.

   They merchant cloth, buying it from sailors and selling it to townsfolk.

   He spent years merchanting spices between distant ports.

   Similartrade, resell, broker

   Note

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