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Definition of merit verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

merit

verb
 
/ˈmerɪt/
 
/ˈmerɪt/
not used in the progressive tenses (formal)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they merit
 
/ˈmerɪt/
 
/ˈmerɪt/
he / she / it merits
 
/ˈmerɪts/
 
/ˈmerɪts/
past simple merited
 
/ˈmerɪtɪd/
 
/ˈmerɪtɪd/
past participle merited
 
/ˈmerɪtɪd/
 
/ˈmerɪtɪd/
past simple meriting
 
/ˈmerɪtɪŋ/
 
/ˈmerɪtɪŋ/
past participle meriting
 
/ˈmerɪtɪŋ/
 
/ˈmerɪtɪŋ/
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  1. merit (doing) something to deserve praise, attention, etc. synonym deserve
    • He claims that their success was not merited.
    • The case does not merit further investigation.
    Extra Examples
    • The question hardly merits an answer.
    • His discussion paper merits further consideration.
    • Their efforts merit recognition.
    • This problem merits expert advice.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • certainly
    • clearly
    • barely
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English (originally in the sense ‘deserved reward or punishment’): via Old French from Latin meritum ‘due reward’, from mereri ‘earn, deserve’.
See merit in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee merit in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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