saleswoman
Americannoun
Usage
What does saleswoman mean? A saleswoman is a woman whose job is to sell products or services. The plural of saleswoman is saleswomen. A less common term for saleswoman is saleslady. The equivalent term for a man is salesman. Both salesman and saleswoman are commonly used, but salesperson and sales rep (or sales representative) are often used in their place. A saleswoman is often said to “work in sales”—in which sales refers to the type of occupation or the division or department within a company. A saleswoman can sell directly to customers or to other businesses or organizations. Sometimes, saleswomen sell things in person, such as at a retail store or dealership. They also commonly sell things over the phone or by communicating with people online. In the past, it was common for some salespeople to travel door-to-door to make sales to people at home, leading to the term door-to-door salesman and, less commonly, door-to-door saleswoman. A saleswoman who has to travel as part of her job can be called a traveling saleswoman. The word saleswoman is sometimes used in a somewhat figurative way to refer to a woman who’s skilled at persuading people, especially in a business or professional setting, as if they are selling them a product. This skill or quality can be called saleswomanship, but the term salesmanship is much more common and is often applied regardless of gender. Example: The saleswoman told me that this was the best deal she could give me.
Gender
See -woman.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of saleswoman
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.
Paula Jimenez, a 22-year-old saleswoman in the Peruvian capital Lima, said the political crisis was "secondary" compared to the everyday problems of ordinary people.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
Song Tianying, a 20-year-old cellphone saleswoman in Beijing, earns around $1,000 a month and saves about $400 of it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
The saleswoman said she thought a few small items, like our Herend China and Lalique crystal glassware, might sell if we took them to local antique shops.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025
Paltrow’s not a snake oil saleswoman — at least to me.
From Salon • Dec. 22, 2025
A saleswoman took one look at the paper and began to open drawers.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
