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

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

"But I have never seen Oli so stressed," he said, noting that this time, unusually, he is going door-to-door to woo voters.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

At the time, it felt wildly inappropriate to go door-to-door introducing ourselves.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2026

He said the pair initially went door-to-door in Camberwell offering trees and installations, before expanding the idea into a seasonal business.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

Instead of fundraising online, I could go door-to-door.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas