- (n.) Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.
- (n.) To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment.
- (n.) Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.
- (n.) To reward.
- (v.i.) To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit.
- (n.) The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). merit. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/merit/definitions/2031934 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "merit" http://smartdefine.org/merit/definitions/2031934 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, merit, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/merit/definitions/2031934>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "merit" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/merit/definitions/2031934> |