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• door-to-door
  door-to-door

  adjective

  calling, selling, canvassing, etc., at each house or apartment in an area, town, or the like.
• door to door
  door to door

  adjective

  (of selling, canvassing, etc) from one house to the next

door-to-door

American  

[dawr-tuh-dawr, dohr-tuh-dohr] / ˈdɔr təˈdɔr, ˈdoʊr təˈdoʊr /

adjective

1. calling, selling, canvassing, etc., at each house or apartment in an area, town, or the like.

   a door-to-door poll.

2. sent direct from the point of pickup to the point of delivery, as a shipment or order of merchandise.

3. covering the complete route of a door-to-door shipment, delivery, etc..

   door-to-door carrying charges; door-to-door insurance.

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adverb

1. in a door-to-door manner.

door to door British  

adjective

1. (of selling, canvassing, etc) from one house to the next

2. (of journeys, deliveries, etc) direct

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door to door Idioms  

1. Calling at each house, apartment, store, etc. in an area, in order to deliver, sell, or ask for something. For example, We were asked to go door to door to collect enough signatures . [c. 1900]

2. Sent from a place of origin or pickup to a place of delivery. For example, They quoted me a price for door to door, as well as a lower one if I would pick up the goods myself . This usage is nearly always applied to a shipment of merchandise.

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Etymology

Origin of door-to-door

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

door-to-door door to door

"There was confusion," confirms Brenn Scott, who was going door-to-door with her daughter to inform residents of the Black neighborhood of Whitehaven.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

The group is expected to focus on door-to-door canvassing, digital advertising and direct mail aimed at mobilizing conservative voters who are less likely to participate in non-presidential elections.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Amid growing complaints from neighbors, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health decided to lead a door-to-door outreach survey in the neighborhood surrounding the warehouse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The supermarket fixture known for its red-capped spices traces its roots to founder Willoughby McCormick, who at 25 years old started selling root beer, flavoring extracts, and fruit syrups door-to-door.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

I offer to go door-to-door for donations and pass the hat around the cafeteria.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Long before the Supreme Court handed down the landmark Obergefell ruling on equal marriage in 2015, activists were canvassing door to door, courting any lawmaker who would listen, and losing at the local level—a lot.

From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026

Officials are going door to door to tell residents how they can file claims with Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to pay for water damage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

On a sticky morning in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, Koustav Bagchi moves from door to door in a crisp white and red traditional attire, a fish in hand.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

Mr. Fiennes’s Dr. Henry Guthrie bustles from door to door, looking in at every bakery and pub to ask the working lads whether any of them can sing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025

On a well-worn rock nearby, Enrique’s grandmother washes musty used clothing she sells door to door.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario