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TAKE THE QUIZtraveling salesman
noun
: a traveling representative of a business concern who solicits orders usually in an assigned territory
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Mandelbaum is a traveling salesman who has been out of town for a couple of weeks.
—
Caren Schnur Neile, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2023
Thanksgiving, when people across America (like a fussy advertising executive played by Steve Martin and a gregarious traveling salesman played by John Candy) endure the nightmare of cross-country travel.
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2022
The supercomputer is able to solve a traveling salesman problem by comparing the length of all of the possible routes and choosing the shortest.
—Jennifer Welsh, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2010
With the assurance of a traveling salesman, DJ leaned across the airplane seat and helped his cousin Hunter, who was 8, click the seatbelt in place.
—Sam Dolnick, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2022
The idea is illustrated by imagining a traveling salesman who has to visit a number of towns, in any order but without retracing their steps, and doing it while covering the shortest distance (or in the shortest amount of time) possible.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022
Yankovic's dad never went so far as to smash his beloved accordion, but the musician really did acquire said accordion from a traveling salesman, like the one played by Thomas Lennon in the film.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 7 Nov. 2022
Linda can sometimes seem a hand-wringing doormat as Willy looks for an outlet for his frustrations over a traveling salesman’s job that leaves him psychically depleted.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2022
Thus, the idea of the traveling salesman Hill swindling the locals into investing in a boys’ marching band, with the intent of skipping town before teaching them a note, held up as well.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 29 June 2022
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Caren Schnur Neile, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2023
Thanksgiving, when people across America (like a fussy advertising executive played by Steve Martin and a gregarious traveling salesman played by John Candy) endure the nightmare of cross-country travel.
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2022
The supercomputer is able to solve a traveling salesman problem by comparing the length of all of the possible routes and choosing the shortest.
—Jennifer Welsh, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2010
With the assurance of a traveling salesman, DJ leaned across the airplane seat and helped his cousin Hunter, who was 8, click the seatbelt in place.
—Sam Dolnick, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2022
The idea is illustrated by imagining a traveling salesman who has to visit a number of towns, in any order but without retracing their steps, and doing it while covering the shortest distance (or in the shortest amount of time) possible.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022
Yankovic's dad never went so far as to smash his beloved accordion, but the musician really did acquire said accordion from a traveling salesman, like the one played by Thomas Lennon in the film.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 7 Nov. 2022
Linda can sometimes seem a hand-wringing doormat as Willy looks for an outlet for his frustrations over a traveling salesman’s job that leaves him psychically depleted.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2022
Thus, the idea of the traveling salesman Hill swindling the locals into investing in a boys’ marching band, with the intent of skipping town before teaching them a note, held up as well.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 29 June 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'traveling salesman.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
First Known Use
1833, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of traveling salesman was
in 1833
Dictionary Entries Near traveling salesman
Cite this Entry
“Traveling salesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traveling%20salesman. Accessed 4 Feb. 2023.
Kids Definition
traveling salesman
noun
: a traveling representative of a business who solicits orders
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