salesman

noun

sales·​man ˈsālz-mən 

plural salesmen

: a person (especially a man) whose job is to sell a product or service in a given territory, in a store, or by telephone compare salesperson, saleswoman

Synonyms of salesman

• clerk
• salesperson

Examples of salesman in a Sentence

He was the company's best salesman last year.

a furniture salesman followed us around the whole time we looked for a new couch

Recent Examples on the Web

His father made ends meet as an electrician and traveling tie salesman. — Jennifer Frederick, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026

Check out those New England-style post caps, the fence salesman thought, that classic mortise-and-tenon construction. — Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 31 May 2026

The people who work during the day did not go home — secretaries, anybody, salesmen — just to be in Frank Sinatra's presence. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

Pughsley, one of the last old-school American bookies, with a salesman’s knack for generating business and a website that was ahead of its time, was going down, and the people around him were, too. — Keith O’Brien, New Yorker, 25 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing salesman

• traveling salesman

Rhymes for salesman

• salesmen

Kids Definition

salesman

noun

sales·​man -mən 

: one who sells in a specific territory or in a store

salesmanship

-ˌship

noun