peddler

noun

ped·​dler ˈped-lər 

variants or less commonly pedlar

plural peddlers also pedlars

: someone who peddles: such as

a

: someone who offers merchandise (such as fresh produce) for sale along the street or from door to door

b

: someone who deals in or promotes something intangible (such as a personal asset or an idea)

influence peddlers

commonly confused with pedaler

Synonyms

• hawker
• huckster

Examples of peddler in a Sentence

the peddler on the street corner selling baseball caps

Recent Examples on the Web

The two men’s paths had first crossed in Detroit, where Fard Muhammad was a street peddler of silk goods who also preached a self-help faith. —Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Dec. 2024

Tourists were wandering around the stalls along Canal Street, where Chinese peddlers and recent immigrants from Africa were selling the same fake Louis Vuitton and Gucci products. —Rong Xiaoqing, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

But human rights groups believe the real toll to be far greater, with thousands more users and small-time peddlers killed in mysterious circumstances by unknown assailants. —Reuters, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024

The 9/11 attacks were a gift to peddlers of xenophobia, white supremacism, and Christian nationalism. —Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above