telemarketer

American

[tel-uh-mahr-ki-ter] / ˈtɛl əˌmɑr kɪ tər /

noun

a person who sells, advertises, or fund-raises through usually unsolicited telephone calls.

How can I avoid being overwhelmed by telemarketers and marketing mail?

Etymology

Origin of telemarketer

telemarket(ing) ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

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:

telemarketer

Other declines are still unfolding: Counter-clerk employment dropped by 30% between 2015 and 2023 as kiosks and then apps took over; telemarketer jobs fell 75% as the web provided new channels for outreach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025

When he lived in Los Angeles before, Chad Bowden worked at one point as a telemarketer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2025

But if some telemarketer or scammer calls her, Auntie will talk to them and start to write checks.

From Slate ● Apr. 26, 2024

A telltale click and tinny, faraway voice heralded the most dreaded of callers: a telemarketer.

From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2023

She answers after half a ring, but it’s only a telemarketer, some poor soul on weekend duty, asking reluctantly if a Mrs., um— “Ganguli,” Ashima replies tardy before hanging up.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023