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

By the nineteen-forties, the rebranding of the American salesman as an independent go-getter was well under way, powered by his—and her—exclusion from New Deal labor protections. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

In November 2004, following a six-month trial, the former fertilizer salesman was convicted of the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Conner. — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

In one sense, snake men like Underwood were no different from present-day gadget and ointment salesmen. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Key background Then-newlyweds Seamour and Gerte Shavin commissioned the house in 1949 and Seamour Shavin, a building materials salesman, helped to build the home. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 1 July 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