peddler
Americannoun
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a person who sells from door to door or in the street.
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a person who tries to promote some cause, candidate, viewpoint, etc.
noun
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a person who sells illegal drugs, esp narcotics
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the usual US spelling of pedlar
Etymology
Origin of peddler
1350–1400; Middle English pedlere, unexplained variant of peder, derivative of ped ( de ) basket
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“He is an American manifestation, the peddler at our door,” he says.
From Slate • Feb. 25, 2026
So when a peddler arrives with a rare item and information, the overseer’s interest is piqued.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
He grew up believing his father was a poor street peddler.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2025
Moreover, skeptics of Scobie's work have accused him of being a peddler for the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
From Salon • Nov. 27, 2023
He’s stopping to watch the little mechanical toys that the peddler winds up—the tumbling bear, the dog jumping, the seal spinning a ball on its nose.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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.
