retail politics

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noun (used with a singular or plural verb)

a political strategy or campaign style of meeting and speaking directly to as many voters as possible: New Hampshire is a state where retail politics are decisive.Not every candidate is good at retail politics.

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Origin of retail politics

First recorded in 1900–05; in the sense of “politics in which votes are for sale”

Words nearby retail politics

Reszke, ret, retable, retail, retailing, retail politics, retail price index, retail therapy, retain, retained, retained earnings

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use retail politics in a sentence

In the meantime, he should just accept that the holdup has nothing to do with his politics.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame|Ben Jacobs|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Former Red Sox star Curt Schilling says his politics are keeping him out of Cooperstown.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame|Ben Jacobs|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But he added that the tactic ensured all “relevant” topics in the world of politics were back to the world of Paul.
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign|Olivia Nuzzi|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Liberal Democrats like to blow their bugles about how all the big money in politics comes from rich Republicans.
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Whatever frustrations or disappointments he felt about politics never surfaced.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A desultory conversation on politics, in which neither took the slightest interest, was a safe neutral ground.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
I want to see the sort of thing happening to schools that has already happened to many sorts of retail shops.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
It was her delight to mingle politics and chivalric devotion, in their long conferences.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Then he suddenly went in for politics and announced himself an uncompromising Liberal.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
She liked him less than ever, nevertheless wished that he were her brother and the rising star in American politics.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for retail politics

retail politics

noun

(functioning as plural) informal the practice of a politician soliciting in person for votes from the public

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