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

Scottish Water said it was arranging fresh water to be brought to Killin by tanker, and door-to-door bottled water deliveries would be carried out on Friday afternoon.

From BBC

"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

In previous city elections, the group has spent big on its favored candidates, paying for campaign materials, door-to-door canvassers and other expenses.

From Los Angeles Times

Students sold Panasonic products door-to-door as part of their coursework, reflecting the founder’s philosophy that running a country wasn’t much different from running a business.

From The Wall Street Journal

The district, which serves more than 2,800 students in eight schools, has set up door-to-door transportation for students and staff who are afraid of waiting at bus stops.

From The Wall Street Journal