saleswoman

[seylz-woom-uhn]

noun

plural

saleswomen 

1. a woman who sells goods, services, etc.

Gender Note

See -woman.

Word History and Origins

Origin of saleswoman¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; sales + woman

Example Sentences

And Su will need to prove her mettle in a less familiar set of roles: as a saleswoman, dealmaker and lobbyist.

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His saleswoman, Veronica Grinstein, called him on her cell phone, which is what she did when she wanted to talk without being recorded.

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In the mid-1960s they moved to Los Angeles, where Socorro succeeded as an Avon saleswoman as well as a sample maker in the garment industry.

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“Do you have a magnifying glass?” she asked the saleswoman behind the counter, now examining a series of bracelets and chains for markings.

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“It was on the counter, and she slipped it into her backpack when the saleswoman looked away.”

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Related Words

• clerk 
• marketer www.thesaurus.com
• salesman 
• salesperson 
• shopkeeper 

When To Use

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.