merchandise

1 of 4

noun (1)

mer·​chan·​dise ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz How to pronounce merchandise (audio)
-ˌdīs
Synonyms of merchandisenext
1
: the commodities or goods that are bought and sold in business : wares
sells a variety of spring merchandise
2
archaic : the occupation of a merchant : trade

merchandise

2 of 4

verb

mer·​chan·​dise ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz How to pronounce merchandise (audio)
variants or less commonly merchandize
merchandised also merchandized; merchandising also merchandizing

transitive verb

1
: to buy and sell in business
Far from just choosing tasteful red, white and blue clothes, the Olympic initiative involves designing, manufacturing, shipping and merchandising the clothes …—Rosemary Feitelberg
2
: to promote for or as if for sale
merchandise a movie star

intransitive verb

archaic : to carry on commerce : trade
merchandiser noun

merchandising

3 of 4

noun (2)

mer·​chan·​dis·​ing ˈmər-chən-ˌdī-ziŋ How to pronounce merchandising (audio)
variants or less commonly merchandizing
: sales promotion as a comprehensive function including market research, development of new products, coordination of manufacture and marketing, and effective advertising and selling

merchandising

4 of 4

present participle of merchandise entry 2

Synonyms of merchandise

Relevance

Noun (1)

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of merchandise in a Sentence

Noun (1) The merchandise will arrive by truck at noon. He's developed his own brand of merchandise. Verb The political candidates are being merchandised to the public. the now-familiar practice of stores merchandising goods at dramatically lower prices on the day after Thanksgiving Noun (2) She is the company's director of merchandising. The film made a lot of money thanks to strong merchandising. Most of the movie's earnings came from merchandising and not ticket sales.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Yet in all these success stories, Haylaz underlined that traditional entertainment companies typically create characters, build an audience and subsequently commercialize that audience through consumer products and merchandise. — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 Utilize 24/7 alarms with CCTV to monitor the perimeter of your business, the inside, and any objects or merchandise that may be targeted, such as ATMs, safes, and cash registers. — Tara Molina, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
Expect retailers to start merchandising home fragrance by room rather than by scent family, and expect brands to release coordinated multi-room sets. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2026 Previously, the company had been merchandising denim throughout the store alongside other ready-to-wear. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
The complaint accuses Love Renaissance of improperly diverting money from Walker’s touring, recording, marketing, and merchandising budgets, while charging excessive company expenses to those accounts in bad faith. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026 Her remit includes merchandising strategy, proprietary brands and vendor marketing, and how the retailer identifies and brings new brands and products to market. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for merchandise

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English marchaundise, from Anglo-French marchandise, from marcheant

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of merchandise was in the 13th century

Rhymes for merchandise

See All Rhymes for merchandise

Browse Nearby Words

merchandisable
merchandise
merchandise freight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Merchandise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merchandise. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

merchandise

1 of 2 noun
mer·​chan·​dise ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz How to pronounce merchandise (audio)
-ˌdīs
: the goods that are bought and sold in trade

merchandise

2 of 2 verb
ˈmər-chən-ˌdīz
merchandised; merchandising
: to buy and sell : trade
especially : to try to improve sales of goods or services by attractive presentation and publicity
merchandiser noun
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