huckster

1 of 2

noun

huck·​ster ˈhək-stər 

1

: hawker, peddler

especially : one who sells or advertises something in an aggressive, dishonest, or annoying way

2

: one who produces promotional material for commercial clients especially for radio or television

hucksterism

ˈhək-stə-ˌri-zəm 

noun

huckster

2 of 2

verb

huckstered; huckstering ˈhək-st(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: haggle

transitive verb

1

: to deal in or bargain over

2

: to promote aggressively

Did you know?

Huckster comes from the Dutch noun hokester and verb hoeken, which means "to peddle."

Synonyms

Noun

• vendor
• pedlar
• seller
• peddler
• merchant
• dealer
• hawker

Examples of huckster in a Sentence

Noun

hucksters outside the auditorium selling everything from key chains to life-size cutouts of the performers

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Player’s Guide details how to build a character, whether its just a common cowpoke or one of the more unusual options like a huckster or blessed. —Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

The other actors in the terrific eight-member cast — which includes Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves and Ken Marks — play multiple roles as townsfolk, family members, lawmen, desperados, hucksters and suckers. —Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 2025

Carrier didn’t fit any stereotype of a glad-handing huckster with a bad loan to sell. —Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 13 May 2025

And at every turn, there were hecklers on social media calling him an idiot, a fraud, and a huckster, and claiming that his companies were about to collapse and die. —David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English hukster, from Middle Dutch hokester, from hoeken to peddle

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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Kids Definition

huckster

noun

huck·​ster

ˈhək-stər

1

: one that peddles : hawker

hucksters selling souvenirs

2

: a writer of advertising especially for radio or television