salesperson
Americannoun
-
salespeople,
plural
-
salespersons
plural
Usage
What does salesperson mean? A salesperson is a person whose job is to sell products or services. Another term for salesperson is sales rep (or sales representative). The terms salesman and saleswoman are still commonly used, but salesperson and sales rep are often used in their place. The plural of salesperson can be salespeople or salespersons. A salesperson is often said to “work in sales”—in which sales refers to the type of occupation or the division or department within the company. A salesperson can sell directly to customers or to other businesses or organizations. Sometimes, salespersons 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 salespersons to travel door-to-door to make sales to people at home. A salesperson who has to travel as part of their job can be called a traveling salesperson. The word salesperson is sometimes used in a somewhat figurative way to refer to someone who’s skilled at persuading people, especially in a business or professional setting, as if they are selling them a product. Example: The salesperson told me that this was the best deal he could give me.
Gender
See -person.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of salesperson
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.
See Examples For:
Today a good adviser looks a lot more like a financial coach than a product salesperson.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
“I would level with people. I didn’t sound like a salesperson because I can’t sell something that doesn’t make sense.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
A salesperson at the dealership tried to give them a car loan with an interest rate around 7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
A candidate like Jack Schlossberg, now running for Congress in Manhattan’s 12th District, is at least more self-aware of his role as salesperson than most.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
As luck would have it, no salesperson pounced on me the minute I entered.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
His advice to chief executives is to flatten organizations, eliminate “glue people” who perform routine tasks, and focus on inventors, salespeople and leaders.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Home Depot devised a strategy of hiring former professional tradespeople en masse—carpenters, plumbers, electricians—to staff stores as their salespeople.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Tempe, Ariz.-based company this week revealed its concept for a new-car dealership designed for smartphone-based shopping rather than paperwork and interactions with salespeople.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
“That last condition is the one most salespeople skip,” Judge said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
They are employees of multinational industry: pharmaceutical salespeople, electronic engineers, information technology managers, accountants, data analysts, plant managers, regional vice presidents, biotechnologists, bankers, manufacturers’ representatives, and franchise chain managers.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
At that business, higher wages and the hiring of additional specialized salespersons in preparation for the spinoff are taking a toll.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 18, 2025
I also interviewed more than 100 current and former engineers, privacy professionals, product managers, salespersons, and lawyers from the largest Silicon Valley tech companies.
From Slate ● Dec. 2, 2021
"Would you bring your family and friends and you can be my salespersons."
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2015
Sixty-five randomly selected car salespersons were asked the number of cars they generally sell in one week.
From Textbooks ● Sep. 19, 2013
As made out by salespersons in duplicate, one half is detached with address and sent with the goods, and the other half remains attached to the purchasing ticket until the purchase is completed.
From How Department Stores Are Carried On by W. B. Phillips
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
