a company, nation, or person that sells military arms on the international market, usually to the highest bidder and without scruple or regard for political ramifications
Word origin
[phrase popularized by the book Merchants of Death (1934) by U.S. writers Helmut C. Engelbrecht (1895–1939) and Frank C. Hanighen (1899–1964)]
Examples of 'merchant of death' in a sentence
merchant of death
Alfred decided he would ensure his legacy was more than that of a merchant of death.