salesman

noun

sales·​man ˈsālz-mən How to pronounce salesman (audio)
plural salesmen
: a person (especially a man) whose job is to sell a product or service in a given territory, in a store, or by telephone compare salesperson, saleswoman

Examples of salesman in a Sentence

He was the company's best salesman last year. a furniture salesman followed us around the whole time we looked for a new couch
Recent Examples on the Web Long conversations ensued between Max and various salesmen, all of them pointing at my legs, puzzled expressions on their faces. Paul Tough, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 The 62-year-old who joined Jefferies in 1990 as a trader and salesman was answering questions on Instagram stories from his 48,000-strong fan base. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 In 1978, the year Deng Xiaoping ushered in China’s economic reforms, Zong returned to Hangzhou and spent the next decade working as a salesman, sometimes traveling to the southern metropolis of Guangzhou for trade fairs. Nectar Gan, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 Always the salesman, Winkle treated trucking company officials to lunch, giving them gifts of fishing gear bought online from China. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Sean was a 44-year old former salesman, church volunteer and father of two whose severe neurological disorder left him wasting away, unable to speak or care for himself. Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2024 This partnership provided jobs for millions of Americans in the form of engineers, welders, electricians, assembly line workers, mechanics, salesmen, parts sales, truck drivers and many more. Jeff Hewitt, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2024 His father, Charles Osgood II, was a textile salesman who moved the family to Baltimore when young Charles was 6 and took a second job, as an expediter for a copper company, during World War II. James Barron, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024 Marte, a natural salesman armed with social connections and a P.R. agent, was about as well equipped as someone in the CAURD program could be. Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'salesman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of salesman was in 1523

Dictionary Entries Near salesman

Cite this Entry

“Salesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salesman. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

salesman

noun
sales·​man -mən How to pronounce salesman (audio)
: one who sells in a specific territory or in a store
salesmanship
-ˌship
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on salesman

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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