diff --git a/Documentation/git-merge.txt b/Documentation/git-merge.txt
index 3819fadac1..324ae879d2 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-merge.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-merge.txt
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 'git merge' [-n] [--stat] [--no-commit] [--squash] [--[no-]edit]
-	[--no-verify] [-s <strategy>] [-X <strategy-option>] [-S[<keyid>]]
+	[--[no-]verify] [-s <strategy>] [-X <strategy-option>] [-S[<keyid>]]
 	[--[no-]allow-unrelated-histories]
 	[--[no-]rerere-autoupdate] [-m <msg>] [-F <file>] [<commit>...]
 'git merge' (--continue | --abort | --quit)
diff --git a/Documentation/merge-options.txt b/Documentation/merge-options.txt
index 80d4831662..f8016b0f7b 100644
--- a/Documentation/merge-options.txt
+++ b/Documentation/merge-options.txt
@@ -112,8 +112,9 @@ option can be used to override --squash.
 +
 With --squash, --commit is not allowed, and will fail.
 
---no-verify::
-	This option bypasses the pre-merge and commit-msg hooks.
+--[no-]verify::
+	By default, pre-merge and commit-msg hooks are run. When `--no-verify`
+	is given, these are bypassed.
 	See also linkgit:githooks[5].
 
 -s <strategy>::
diff --git a/builtin/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index 9d5359edc2..ab5c221234 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ static int default_to_upstream = 1;
 static int signoff;
 static const char *sign_commit;
 static int autostash;
-static int no_verify;
+static int verify = 1;
 
 static struct strategy all_strategy[] = {
 	{ "recursive",  DEFAULT_TWOHEAD | NO_TRIVIAL },
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ static struct option builtin_merge_options[] = {
 	OPT_AUTOSTASH(&autostash),
 	OPT_BOOL(0, "overwrite-ignore", &overwrite_ignore, N_("update ignored files (default)")),
 	OPT_BOOL(0, "signoff", &signoff, N_("add Signed-off-by:")),
-	OPT_BOOL(0, "no-verify", &no_verify, N_("bypass pre-merge-commit and commit-msg hooks")),
+	OPT_BOOL(0, "verify", &verify, N_("control use of pre-merge-commit and commit-msg hooks")),
 	OPT_END()
 };
 
@@ -822,7 +822,7 @@ static void prepare_to_commit(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 	struct strbuf msg = STRBUF_INIT;
 	const char *index_file = get_index_file();
 
-	if (!no_verify && run_commit_hook(0 < option_edit, index_file, "pre-merge-commit", NULL))
+	if (verify && run_commit_hook(0 < option_edit, index_file, "pre-merge-commit", NULL))
 		abort_commit(remoteheads, NULL);
 	/*
 	 * Re-read the index as pre-merge-commit hook could have updated it,
@@ -858,9 +858,9 @@ static void prepare_to_commit(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 			abort_commit(remoteheads, NULL);
 	}
 
-	if (!no_verify && run_commit_hook(0 < option_edit, get_index_file(),
-					  "commit-msg",
-					  git_path_merge_msg(the_repository), NULL))
+	if (verify && run_commit_hook(0 < option_edit, get_index_file(),
+				      "commit-msg",
+				      git_path_merge_msg(the_repository), NULL))
 		abort_commit(remoteheads, NULL);
 
 	read_merge_msg(&msg);
diff --git a/builtin/pull.c b/builtin/pull.c
index 428baea95b..e783da10b2 100644
--- a/builtin/pull.c
+++ b/builtin/pull.c
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ static char *opt_edit;
 static char *cleanup_arg;
 static char *opt_ff;
 static char *opt_verify_signatures;
-static char *opt_no_verify;
+static char *opt_verify;
 static int opt_autostash = -1;
 static int config_autostash;
 static int check_trust_level = 1;
@@ -161,9 +161,9 @@ static struct option pull_options[] = {
 	OPT_PASSTHRU(0, "ff-only", &opt_ff, NULL,
 		N_("abort if fast-forward is not possible"),
 		PARSE_OPT_NOARG | PARSE_OPT_NONEG),
-	OPT_PASSTHRU(0, "no-verify", &opt_no_verify, NULL,
-		N_("bypass pre-merge-commit and commit-msg hooks"),
-		PARSE_OPT_NOARG | PARSE_OPT_NONEG),
+	OPT_PASSTHRU(0, "verify", &opt_verify, NULL,
+		N_("control use of pre-merge-commit and commit-msg hooks"),
+		PARSE_OPT_NOARG),
 	OPT_PASSTHRU(0, "verify-signatures", &opt_verify_signatures, NULL,
 		N_("verify that the named commit has a valid GPG signature"),
 		PARSE_OPT_NOARG),
@@ -692,8 +692,8 @@ static int run_merge(void)
 		strvec_pushf(&args, "--cleanup=%s", cleanup_arg);
 	if (opt_ff)
 		strvec_push(&args, opt_ff);
-	if (opt_no_verify)
-		strvec_push(&args, opt_no_verify);
+	if (opt_verify)
+		strvec_push(&args, opt_verify);
 	if (opt_verify_signatures)
 		strvec_push(&args, opt_verify_signatures);
 	strvec_pushv(&args, opt_strategies.v);
