peddle

verb

ped·​dle ˈpe-dᵊl 

peddled; peddling ˈped-liŋ 

ˈpe-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

1

: to travel about with wares for sale

broadly : sell

peddling without a license

2

: to be busy with trifles : piddle

transitive verb

1

: to sell or offer for sale from place to place : hawk

broadly : sell

They peddled fruits and vegetables from a truck on the side of the road.

2

: to deal out or seek to disseminate

peddling personal advice

—G. F. Kennan

3

: to offer or promote as valuable

peddled snake oils and miracle lotions

Synonyms

• hawk

Examples of peddle in a Sentence

They peddled fruits and vegetables out of their truck on the side of the road.

He peddled his idea for a new movie to every executive in Hollywood.

The mayor's aides tried to peddle his innocence to reporters.

Recent Examples on the Web

A week earlier, President Donald Trump himself — historically not a fan of EVs — peddled Teslas on the South Lawn of the White House, giving the company’s shares a sharp but short-lived bump. —Allison Morrow, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025

Miller was sent to the New York Rangers for a trio of assets, the highest upside of which was then peddled to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a top-four defender in Marcus Pettersson and a good middle-six forward with plus speed and size in Drew O’Connor. —Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025

Upon check-in, every guest is given a bike with a personalized name tag, so peddling around the island is hassle-free. —Jason Chau, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2025

Mendez’s husband, Felix Herrera Garcia, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in October for peddling drugs out of the daycare from October 2022 through the child’s death. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from peddler, from Middle English pedlere, alteration of pedder peddler

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing peddle

• peddle one's wares

Rhymes for peddle

• bedell
• heddle
• medal
• meddle
• pedal
• wedel
• bipedal
• intermeddle

Kids Definition

peddle

verb

ped·​dle ˈped-ᵊl 

peddled; peddling -liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to travel about especially from house to house with goods for sale

2

: to sell from place to place usually in small quantities

3

: to present (something) in a manner that is intended to convince others of its value

peddled her opinion to her friends

peddler noun

also pedlar

ˈped-lər