peddle

American  

[ped-l] / ˈpɛd l /

verb (used with object)

• peddles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• peddled,
  past participle,  past
• peddling
  present participle

1. to carry (small articles, goods, wares, etc.) from place to place for sale at retail; hawk.

2. to deal out, distribute, or dispense, especially in small quantities.

   to peddle radical ideas.

3. to sell (drugs) illicitly.

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verb (used without object)

• peddles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• peddled,
  past participle,  past
• peddling
  present participle

1. to go from place to place with goods, wares, etc., for sale at retail.

2. to occupy oneself with trifles; trifle.

peddle British  

/ ˈpɛdəl /

verb

1. to go from place to place selling (goods, esp small articles)

2. (tr) to sell (illegal drugs, esp narcotics)

3. (tr) to advocate (ideas) persistently or importunately

   to peddle a new philosophy

4. archaic (intr) to trifle

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• repeddle
  verb (used with object)
• unpeddled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• peddling
  present
• peddled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• peddle
  simple
• peddles
  simple
• have peddled
  perfect
• has peddled
  perfect
• am peddling
  progressive
• are peddling
  progressive
• is peddling
  progressive
• have been peddling
  perfect progressive
• has been peddling
  perfect progressive

Past

• peddled
  simple
• had peddled
  perfect
• was peddling
  progressive
• were peddling
  progressive
• had been peddling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will peddle
  simple
• will have peddled
  perfect
• will be peddling
  progressive
• will have been peddling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of peddle

First recorded in 1525–35; apparently back formation from peddler; peddle in def. 5, reinforced by piddle

Explanation

When you peddle something, you go out and try to sell it. It's cute when a little kid peddles his homemade birthday cards around the neighborhood, but if an adult did that it might be annoying. The classic image of someone who peddles is an old-fashioned "peddler" or "tinker" traveling from village to village selling goods. The verb peddle, in fact, comes from the word "peddler," whose origin is a mystery. Any time you sell something by going from place to place, like selling Girl Scout cookies to all your neighbors, you peddle.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peddle peddles peddled peddling

Embiid urged Sixers season ticket holders not to peddle their seats to flush New Yorkers, as in playoffs past.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

A separate analysis by The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation in California this week showed AI chatbots can peddle misinformation too.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

In the Old City, home to a small but vibrant Christian community and several important churches, red baubles hang from some trees, shopkeepers have put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddle warm chestnuts.

From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025

Eaton for many years has worked to expose people who peddle chlorine dioxide and to report apparent injuries to authorities.

From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2025

Some cyclo drivers climb into their cyclo to sleep while others continue to peddle around, looking for fares.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

“Club Kid” is a blast: a spicy, surprising and irreverent comedy that rarely peddles the audience anything artificially sweet.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

"Everything is there. I was stuck here," he told AFP in Karachi, near the well-known Bengali market where he peddles desiccated fish and prawns to make ends meet for $7 to $9 per day.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

But in the narrative of masculinity that Rogan himself peddles, Johnson’s behavior makes a sick sort of sense.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2025

Another witness said she saw Joshua "going at a fair rate" stood up on his peddles beginning to cross the carriageway and that it did not look like he was going to stop.

From BBC ● May 2, 2023

Down in the city, a merchant peddles his wares, the singsong strains of his voice reaching even here.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Evergrande Group was once the face of Chinese real estate, surfing a decades-long property boom as it peddled home-ownership dreams.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

For the most part, Strong’s day-by-day chronicle of the war’s ups and downs was based on behind-the-scenes gossip and “extras” peddled by Manhattan newsboys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

In a joint statement with local government officials on Monday, Kaduna state police commissioner Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu described the information as "mere falsehood which is being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs who want to cause chaos".

From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026

El Diablo, however, knew where the bodies were buried — a knowledge he peddled tirelessly to his U.S. handlers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2025

I peddled faster, trying to drive out the knowledge that I was disobeying my father.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

The little L.A. shop was a destination for Hello Kitty fans for decades when it decided to dive into a massive new wave of e-commerce — peddling its products live on TikTok.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Barton has no training and less than zero credibility, having been caught repeatedly peddling easily disproved lies.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026

Last month his wife Begoña Gómez was charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, said “doomers” peddling worst-case scenarios, lingering anger at social-media companies and negative media coverage have fueled poor sentiment in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

So it wasn’t really insurance they were peddling.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• hawk
• solicit