huckster

1 of 3

noun (1)

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 3

verb

huckstered; huckstering ˈhək-st(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: haggle

transitive verb

1

: to deal in or bargain over

2

: to promote aggressively

hucksterism

3 of 3

noun (2)

huck·​ster·​ism -təˌrizəm 

plural -s

: persuasive showmanship in advertising or selling : commercialism sense 2

sponsoring the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts … without the faintest trace of bad taste or hucksterism

—Howard Taubman

the unashamed hucksterism practiced by our present government

—R. L. Riggs

Did you know?

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

Synonyms of huckster

Noun (1)

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

Examples of huckster in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Joe Biden’s now ‘fabled’ performance would look great by comparison to anything that this loudmouth huckster has to offer, which isn’t much! —Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026

Meanwhile, Sade is taken in by a huckster named Dr. Jack (Don Cheadle) who hawks a pyramid scheme called Friends Being Friends, a pretense of community. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026

The fact that Harris and Clinton, two highly qualified women, could lose to an amoral TV huckster tells us that American voters either refuse or are incapable of elevating a woman to the most powerful office in the world. —Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026

This place is a huckster’s dream. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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