merchant ship

noun

Synonyms of merchant shipnext
: merchantman sense 2

Examples of merchant ship in a Sentence

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.
Unless cargo ship designs are modified to deter or push aside these emergent threats, and new merchant ships get built to fight through damage, cargo traffic near maritime chokepoints will have an increasingly tough time. — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 The Continental Navy also relied on privateers for military purposes during the American Revolution, and President James Madison approved the use of merchant ships to fight against the much larger British Royal Navy in the War of 1812. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2026 The strikes were retaliation after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, and underscored the fragility of an interim deal to end months of fighting between the two countries. — ABC News, 7 July 2026 During America's quasi-war with France in 1798, Talbot finally got command of his own ship, capturing several French privateers and convoying American merchant ships aboard the USS Constitution. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for merchant ship

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of merchant ship was in the 15th century

Rhymes for merchant ship

See All Rhymes for merchant ship

Browse Nearby Words

merchant service
merchant ship
merchant tailor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Merchant ship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merchant%20ship. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

merchant ship

noun
: merchantman

More from Merriam-Webster on merchant ship

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for merchant ship

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about merchant ship

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All