huckster

1 of 2

noun

huck·​ster ˈhək-stər How to pronounce huckster (audio)
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 noun

huckster

2 of 2

verb

huckstered; huckstering ˈhək-st(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce huckster (audio)

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."

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
Yet this devastation and despair is not enough for the extremist groups, disinformation agents, hucksters, and politicians who are exploiting the disaster to spread false claims and conspiracy theories about it and the government’s response. David Klepper, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2024 Yet this devastation and despair are not enough for the extremist groups, disinformation agents, hucksters and politicians who are exploiting the disaster to spread false claims and conspiracy theories about it and the government’s response. David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2024 One of them lost his entire life savings to a huckster in Kazakhstan, was forced to return to Russia and fled the country a second time to Armenia. Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024 Kraft compares Coull to famous huckster impresarios like P.T. Barnum, Fyre Fest organizer Billy McFarland and even Walt Disney. John Russell, Peoplemag, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for huckster 

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of huckster was in the 13th century

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Dictionary Entries Near huckster

Cite this Entry

“Huckster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/huckster. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on huckster

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