merchandise

American  

[mur-chuhn-dahyz, -dahys, mur-chuhn-dahyz] / ˈmɜr tʃənˌdaɪz, -ˌdaɪs, ˈmɜr tʃənˌdaɪz /

Sometimes merchandize

noun

1. the manufactured goods bought and sold in any business.

2. the stock of goods in a store.

3. goods, especially manufactured goods; commodities.

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verb (used without object)

merchandised, merchandising

1. to carry on trade.

verb (used with object)

merchandised, merchandising

1. to buy and sell; deal in; trade.

2. to plan or manage the arrangement and promotion of (goods in a store).

   When you merchandise your products, promote impulse purchases by grouping like items.

merchandise British  

noun

1. commercial goods; commodities

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verb

1. to engage in the commercial purchase and sale of (goods or services); trade

Other Word Forms

• merchandisable
  adjective
• merchandiser
  noun
• unmerchandised
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of merchandise

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English marchandise, from Old French; see merchant, -ice

Explanation

The noun merchandise refers to things that can be bought or sold, like the merchandise that's for sale at your local record shop, or the merchandise sold by sidewalk vendors in a big city. When you go into a store, you're surrounded by merchandise, whether it's food, clothing, or books. Goods that can be bought or sold are merchandise, and so are items connected with a particular movie or music group — like the t-shirts you can buy at a rock concert's merchandise booth. Merchandise is also a verb, meaning "to promote or advertise" — "Retail stores merchandise goods using displays, signs, or mannequins."

Example Sentences

The image taken from her face went on to appear in the films and on posters and merchandise without her knowledge or consent, it added.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

She is part of an Emmy-nominated team for a series that revealed how Amazon failed to protect consumers from unsafe products and sourced merchandise from banned factories in Bangladesh.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

The company also cleared $100.7 billion in gross merchandise value, up from $74.8 billion last year.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

This could include having linked social accounts on their artist profile, consistent listener activity or other "signals of a real artist behind the profile," the company said, such as merchandise or concert dates.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Despite everything, our merchandise was selling well and a pretty steady stream of customers distracted us from our personal problems for most of the morning.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Related Words

• commodity
• material
• product
• stock
• stuff