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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

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

Uniformed police officers have been going door-to-door, checking on people as well as asking for information that may help.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Many others at the field, where aid groups have been giving out blankets and food, report such door-to-door intimidation.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

“You know,” Grover mumbled, “I bet Hades doesn’t have trouble with door-to-door salesmen.”

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

At the time, Oxford had been moonlighting for a sales company that offered welding machines, generators, and other equipment door to door.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Lynn Nguyen, Chinatown’s young adult librarian, has taken to delivering groceries door to door since 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Previously health workers went from door to door to convince parents to get their children vaccinated," Husain says.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

"I am going door to door," BNP candidate S.M Zilany, 57, told AFP, saying many would-be voters had never had a candidate canvass for their backing.

From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026

It pounded regularly for a minute, and then suddenly more softly, and then again in a quick flurry, seeming to be going methodically from door to door at the end of the hall.

From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson