1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] In a restaurant or café, or at a formal meal, the menu is a list of the food and drinks that are available. □ A waiter offered him the menu. □ Even the most elaborate dishes on the menu were quite low on calories.
2 N‑COUNT A menu is the food that you serve at a meal. □ Try out the menu on a few friends.
3 N‑COUNT On a computer screen, a menu is a list of choices. Each choice represents something that you can do using the computer.
meow /miaʊ / → see miaow
MEP /e m iː piː / (MEPs ) N‑COUNT An MEP is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. MEP is an abbreviation for 'Member of the European Parliament'.
mer|can|tile /mɜː r kənta I l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Mercantile means relating to or involved in trade. [FORMAL ] □ …the emergence of a new mercantile class.
mer|ce|nary /mɜː r sənri, [AM ] -neri/ (mercenaries )
1 N‑COUNT A mercenary is a soldier who is paid to fight by a country or group that they do not belong to.
2 ADJ If you describe someone as mercenary , you are criticizing them because you think that they are only interested in the money that they can get from a particular person or situation. [DISAPPROVAL ]
mer|chan|dise /mɜː r tʃənda I z, -da I s/ N‑UNCOUNT Merchandise is goods that are bought, sold, or traded. [FORMAL ]
mer|chan|dis|er /mɜː r tʃənda I zə r / (merchandisers ) N‑COUNT A merchandiser is a person or company that sells goods to the public. [AM , BUSINESS ] □ The company thrived as a discount merchandiser. in BRIT, use retailer
mer|chan|dis|ing /mɜː r tʃənda I z I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Merchandising consists of goods such as toys and clothes that are linked with something such as a film, sports team, or pop group. □ We are selling the full range of World Cup merchandising. □ The club says it will make increasing amounts from merchandising.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Merchandising is used to refer to the way shops and businesses organize the sale of their products, for example the way they are displayed and the prices that are chosen. [mainly AM , BUSINESS ] □ Company executives say revamped merchandising should help Macy's earnings to grow.
mer|chant ◆◇◇ /mɜː r tʃənt/ (merchants )
1 N‑COUNT A merchant is a person who buys or sells goods in large quantities, especially one who imports and exports them. □ Any knowledgeable wine merchant would be able to advise you.
2 N‑COUNT A merchant is a person who owns or runs a shop, store, or other business. [AM ] □ The family was forced to live on credit from local merchants. in BRIT, usually use retailer , shopkeeper 3 ADJ [ADJ n] Merchant seamen or ships are involved in carrying goods for trade. □ There's been a big reduction in the size of the British merchant fleet in recent years. SYNONYMS merchant NOUN 1
tradesman: The tradesmen gathered for a meeting.
trader: …a fur trader.
dealer: …an antique dealer.
broker: We sell through a broker.
supplier: …Hillsdown Holdings, one of the U.K.'s biggest food suppliers.
me r|chant ba nk (merchant banks ) N‑COUNT A merchant bank is a bank that deals mainly with firms, investment, and foreign trade, rather than with the public. [BUSINESS ]
me r|chant ba nk|er (merchant bankers ) N‑COUNT A merchant banker is someone who works for a merchant bank. [BUSINESS ]
mer|ci|ful /mɜː r s I fʊl/
1 ADJ If you describe God or a person in a position of authority as merciful , you mean that they show kindness and forgiveness to people. □ We can only hope the court is merciful.
2 ADJ If you describe an event or situation as merciful , you mean that it is a good thing, especially because it stops someone's suffering or discomfort. □ Eventually the session came to a merciful end.
mer|ci|ful|ly /mɜː r s I fʊli/ ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] You can use mercifully to show that you are glad that something good has happened, or that something bad has not happened or has stopped. [FEELINGS ] □ Mercifully, a friend came to the rescue.
mer|ci|less /mɜː r s I ləs/ ADJ If you describe someone as merciless , you mean that they are very cruel or determined and do not show any concern for the effect their actions have on other people. □ …the merciless efficiency of a modern police state. ● mer|ci|less|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ We teased him mercilessly. □ The sun beat down mercilessly.
mer|cu|rial /mɜː r kjʊə riəl/ ADJ If you describe someone as mercurial , you mean that they frequently change their mind or mood without warning. [LITERARY ] □ …his mercurial temperament.
mer|cu|ry /mɜː r kjʊri/ N‑UNCOUNT Mercury is a silver-coloured liquid metal that is used especially in thermometers and barometers.
mer|cy /mɜː r si/ (mercies )
1 N‑UNCOUNT If someone in authority shows mercy , they choose not to harm someone they have power over, or they forgive someone they have the right to punish. □ Neither side took prisoners or showed any mercy. □ They cried for mercy but their pleas were met with abuse and laughter.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Mercy is used to describe a special journey to help someone in great need, such as people who are sick or made homeless by war. [JOURNALISM ] □ She vanished nine months ago while on a mercy mission to West Africa.
3 N‑COUNT If you refer to an event or situation as a mercy , you mean that it makes you feel happy or relieved, usually because it stops something unpleasant happening. □ It really was a mercy that he'd died so rapidly at the end.