peddler

[ ped-ler ]

/ ˈpɛd lər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR peddler ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who sells from door to door or in the street.

a person who tries to promote some cause, candidate, viewpoint, etc.

RELATED WORDS

vendor, salesperson, huckster

Nearby words

Also especially British, ped·lar, ped·ler.

Origin of peddler

1350–1400; Middle English pedlere, unexplained variant of peder, derivative of ped(de) basket

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for peddler

Mandelbaum began her climb to the top of the crime world as a peddler on the rough-and-tumble, bustling streets of New York City.
Meet 'The Queen of Thieves' Marm Mandelbaum, New York City's First Mob Boss|J. North Conway|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to tradition, the typical Yankee peddler was thought to be so shrewd that he could carve and sell counterfeit nutmegs.
Ted Thompson’s Debut Novel Features A 1 Percenter As Its Hero|Stefan Beck|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just look at Zynga, the peddler of Facebook games Farmville and Mafia Wars.
How Joining Facebook Is Hurting Instagram|Alex Klein|August 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The peddler's savings, considerably increased by skilful financial manipulation, had attained a very high figure.
Luxury-Gluttony:|Eugne Sue

The silence of the moors wrapped them round, and also the peddler's stammer was a burden to his speech.
Long Will|Florence Converse
I know I have disgraced the family, but I shall never understand why riding with the peddler should do this.
The Heart's Country|Mary Heaton Vorse
Two years later he came to the Pittsburgh District, where, as a peddler in the country towns, he gradually regained his strength.
Charities and the Commons: The Pittsburgh Survey, Part I: The People|Various
It was a new kind of arithmetic, his friend Rugg, the peddler, told him.
Shenac's Work at Home|Margaret Murray Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for peddler

peddler

/ (ˈpɛdlə) /

noun

a person who sells illegal drugs, esp narcotics

the usual US spelling of pedlar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for peddler

peddler

late 14c. (c.1300 as a surname, Will. Le Pedelare), from peoddere, peddere (c.1200, mid-12c. as a surname), of unknown origin. It has the appearance of an agent noun, but no corresponding verb is attested in Middle English. Perhaps a diminutive of ped "panier, basket," also of unknown origin, but this is attested only from late 14c. Pedlar, preferred spelling in U.K., is attested from late 14c.