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

The Coens won Best Original Screenplay, and Frances McDormand took her first Oscar home for playing the unforgettable Marge Gunderson, a Minnesotan cop who gets entangled in a car salesman’s deeply inept foray into the criminal world. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026

Dunleavy sounded less like an NBA executive trying to maximize a generational talent and more like a car salesman explaining why the engine light is supposed to stay on. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026

In six years running General Dynamics’ Ordnance and Tactical Systems business, Gezen had earned a reputation as a deft strategist and salesman. — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026

How many salesmen believed the goal was attainable or even worth chasing? — Jeremy MacLiver, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 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