hawker

1 of 2

noun (1)

hawk·​er ˈhȯ-kər 

: falconer

hawker

2 of 2

noun (2)

: one who hawks wares

The sidewalks are filled with hawkers selling vegetables and trinkets and women in blankets roasting cobs of corn on makeshift fires.

—Richard Stengal

Synonyms of hawker

Noun (2)

• vendor
• seller
• peddler
• merchant
• huckster

Examples of hawker in a Sentence

Noun (2)

street corner hawkers selling everything from fake designer purses to original works of art

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Singapore’s hawker culture is even recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. —Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026

Maxwell Food Centre, Lau Pa Sat and Old Airport Road are among the most popular hawker centers in the city. —Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026

Breakfast might be kopitiam toast and soft eggs, lunch a plate of chicken rice at a hawker stall, and dinner a tasting menu influenced by the flavors of the Malay Archipelago. —Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026

Speaking to the outlet, fellow officer Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar said that most of those who died were hawkers of plastic items and worked in the town of Chowmuhani. —Adam England, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English haueker, hawker, going back to Old English hafocere, from hafoc hawk entry 1 + -ere -er entry 2

Noun (2)

by folk etymology from Low German höker, from Middle Low German hōker, from hōken to squat, peddle — more at hunker

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1512, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hawker

• blocker
• chalker
• cocker
• docker
• hocker
• knocker
• locker
• mocker
• ocher
• rocker
• shocker
• soccer

Kids Definition

hawker

1 of 2 noun

hawk·​er ˈhȯ-kər 

: falconer

hawker

2 of 2 noun

: a person who hawks wares

Etymology

Noun

Low German höker, from höken "to peddle"