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

Greene’s a high-profile proponent of the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, and has previously peddled wild conspiracy theories, like QAnon, as well as suggesting that the 9/11 attack was a hoax and that Jewish space lasers are responsible for wildfires. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

Still, the film does offer a glimmer of something different from the silliness it’s been peddling. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 29 Mar. 2024

MyPillow's Mike Lindell is peddling an election machine 'security' device. —Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024

Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson shouldn’t be allowed to peddle that same kind of soft power again at the end of this season. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024

But rather than thrills, this art carnival peddles whimsy and joy. —Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2024

These are straight up false representations that are being peddled in the last few days to affect the votes in an election. —Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2024

The event, which Suarez officially endorsed using the city of Miami seal, is now caught up in an ongoing congressional investigation into Saudi Arabia’s alleged influence peddling efforts in the United States. —Susan Merriam, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024

For a philosopher to peddle bad philosophy is something else. —Leif Wenar, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024

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

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