monger

1 of 2

noun

mon·ger ˈməŋ-gər

ˈmäŋ-

: broker, dealer

—usually used in combination

alemonger

: a person who attempts to stir up or spread something that is usually petty or discreditable

—usually used in combination

warmonger

monger

2 of 2

verb

mongered; mongering ˈməŋ-g(ə-)riŋ

ˈmäŋ-

transitive verb

: peddle

Did you know?

Peddlers (especially fish merchants) have been called mongers for more than 1000 years. The term traces to a Latin noun meaning "trader." Initially, it was an honorable term, but every profession has its bad apples, and the snake-oil salesmen of the bunch gave monger a bad reputation. By the middle of the 16th century, the term often implied that a merchant was dishonorable and contemptible. Nowadays, monger is typically appended to another word to identify a trader of a particular type. Some combinations (such as fishmonger) suggest respectable commerce, whereas others (such as rumormonger, scandalmonger, and hypemonger) imply that a person is trading or spreading information in a careless or deceptive manner.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Stew Peters is a far-right media host and conspiracy monger, infamous for his unhinged film claiming Covid-19 is caused by synthetic snake venom. —

Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone, 7 June 2023 Still, gossip mongers and suck-ups won’t go away unless managers remove the incentives to such behavior, while rewarding positive actions like collaboration. —

Matthew Boyle, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2023 Carlson may want to take notes from Glenn Beck, a fellow conservative conspiracy monger who was also once Fox’s most popular, and most controversial, personality. —

Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023 This gives them the chance to play with a cornucopia of alien technology, but also summons war monger/profiteer Ansel Argon (Michael Peña), who is hunting for the orb with his bitter head of security Captain Irons (Jesse Williams) and a fleet of henchmen. —

Courtney Howard, Variety, 10 Aug. 2022 Rage-monger? —

Gene Myers, Detroit Free Press, 30 May 2022 So, a week ago the little cheese monger that could sponsored a phenomenal tasting at Medford’s EdenVale Winery that was organized by the Oregon Wine Experience team and their sommelier Joseph Shaughnessy, as a fundraiser for Asante, a local hospital. —

Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes, 18 June 2021 When Old Brooklyn Cheese Co. opens this Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Van Aken District’s Market Hall, Michael Januska will be more than a cheese monger, business owner and chef. —

Marc Bona, cleveland, 30 Aug. 2020 This mild cheddar with hints of aged Parmesan tastes like a fancy cheese monger favorite, but without the fancy price tag. —

Hollyanna McCollom, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2023

Verb

Make no mistake: such fear mongering is dangerous, and puts real people's lives at risk. —

Wesley Lowery, CBS News, 25 June 2023 Liberal leaders and lawmakers have accused their conservative counterparts of fear mongering and misusing LGBTQ+ rights as a political wedge. —

Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023 Republicans say Democrats are engaging in fear mongering and note the bill does not specify programs to be cut. —

Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 26 Apr. 2023 The cynical take on Altman was put forth by Brian Merchant in an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times—namely, that fear-mongering about A.I., particularly about its ability to replace lots of people’s jobs, only serves to hype the power of existing technologies and OpenAI’s brand, boosting its sales. —

Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2023 The rise of deepfakes represents an especially disturbing prospect when fake news events—often taking the form of conspiracy theories or rumor-mongering—have already led to real-world threats of violence and even the deaths of innocent people. —

IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2019 His seminal Bob Dylan poster, which once decorated every teen-ager’s bedroom, caught lightning in a bottle: Dylan was in transition from rough-and-tumble early-protest Bob to later and superior Rimbaud-image-mongering Bob. —

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2023 While Ted Lasso and his merry band of underdogs cultivate karmic glory, the Roy family continues to revel in nihilistic power-mongering. —

Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Mar. 2023 The borderline-campy spectacle that surrounds Santos, yes, but also the politics; specifically the fear-mongering and rhetoric targeting LGBTQ people and communities which has, in recent years in particular, led to a drastic rise in anti-trans and anti-drag legislation. —

Alex Rees, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.