calling, selling, canvassing, etc., at each house or apartment in an area, town, or the like.
a door-to-door poll.
sent direct from the point of pickup to the point of delivery, as a shipment or order of merchandise.
covering the complete route of a door-to-door shipment, delivery, etc..
door-to-door carrying charges; door-to-door insurance.
(of selling, canvassing, etc) from one house to the next
(of journeys, deliveries, etc) direct
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]
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.
First recorded in 1900–05
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ian Faria, a lawyer in Texas who represents home builders, said that in new communities, plaintiff attorneys often go door-to-door, pointing out potential problems in homes and encouraging owners to consider litigation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
There will be two phases of physical door-to-door surveys.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian-based religious movement, probably best known for its door-to-door evangelism.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 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
Dick told him, very polite, like we were a couple of door-to-door salesmen, ‘We want to talk to you, sir. In your office, please.’
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
