huckster

American  

[huhk-ster] / ˈhʌk stər /

noun

1. a retailer of small articles, especially a peddler of fruits and vegetables; hawker.

2. a person who employs showy methods to effect a sale, win votes, etc..

   the crass methods of political hucksters.

3. a cheaply mercenary person.

4. Informal.

   1. a persuasive and aggressive salesperson.

   2. a person who works in the advertising industry, especially one who prepares aggressive advertising for radio and television.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to deal, as in small articles, or to make petty bargains.

   to huckster fresh corn; to huckster for a living.

2. to sell or promote in an aggressive and flashy manner.

huckster British  

/ ˈhʌkstə /

noun

1. a person who uses aggressive or questionable methods of selling

2. rare a person who sells small articles or fruit in the street

3. a person who writes for radio or television advertisements

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verb

1. (tr) to peddle

2. (tr) to sell or advertise aggressively or questionably

3. to haggle (over)

Other Word Forms

• hucksterish
  adjective
• hucksterism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of huckster

1150–1200; Middle English huccstere (perhaps cognate with Middle Dutch hokester ), equivalent to hucc- haggle (cognate with dialectal German hucken to huckster) + -stere -ster

Explanation

A huckster is someone who tries to sell you something that's not very well made, or isn't worth the price. If someone tries to sell you a bottle of Love Potion #9, call him a huckster. While a huckster is primarily a seller of cheap goods, like the people who sell imitation luxury handbags and watches on city sidewalks, you can also use the word to talk about extremely pushy salespeople. If you feel so pressured to make an offer on a new car that you leave the dealership feeling frustrated and daunted, you might say, "There's no way I'm buying a car from that huckster."

Example Sentences

Lon Chaney plays a huckster circus performer who pretends to have no arms.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2025

What can anyone expect from a huckster, who will peddle anything and anyone to line his pockets?

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2024

But preproduction is disrupted by downtrodden producer Brad Shlansky, a Long Island huckster who was forced to grow up fast and eventually ventured to Hollywood with his two sisters.

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2023

The man may a huckster, a jaw-droppingly error-prone candidate, and, as his opponent for one of Pennsylvania’s Senate seats has reminded us many times, a New Jersey resident.

From Slate • Sep. 7, 2022

A watermelon huckster stood in the shade beside his truck, holding up a long slice of orange-mealed melon, crying his wares with hoarse appeals to nostalgia, memories of childhood, green shade and summer coolness.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison