synonym for travelling salesman

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• traveling salesman

noun as in traveling agent

Weak matches

• commercial traveler
• door-to-door salesman
• knight of the road
• road warrior
• traveling salesperson

Example Sentences

There she met Hugh Rodham, a traveling salesman eight years her senior, and after a five-year courtship, they married in 1942.

I tried several positions and am now a traveling salesman for a large carpet house.

To what class does the railroad fare paid by a traveling salesman belong?

George Roth, for all he was a traveling salesman, was a man of considerable determination.

The traveling salesman is probably the most effective agency in securing the retailer's orders for coffee.

Chamberlain, having once adopted the role of a garrulous traveling salesman, followed it up with zest.

Related Words

Words related to traveling salesman are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word traveling salesman . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in traveling salesperson

• traveling agent
• traveling man
• traveling sales representative
• traveling saleswoman

noun as in worker who travels a lot

• traveling woman

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

Travelling salesman synonyms

What is another word for travelling salesman .

• commercial traveller traveling salesman
• commercial traveler traveling salesman
• traveling salesman salesperson, commercial traveller
• salesman traveling salesman, salesperson
• door-to-door salesman
• salesperson
• seller salesperson
• travelling saleswoman
• shop assistant salesperson
• salespeople
• representative

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What are synonyms for "travelling salesman"?

• travelling salesman

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traveling salesman

Definition of traveling salesman

Examples of traveling salesman in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'traveling salesman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1833, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near traveling salesman

traveling rings

traveling staircase

Cite this Entry

“Traveling salesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traveling%20salesman. Accessed 10 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of traveling salesman, more from merriam-webster on traveling salesman.

Nglish: Translation of traveling salesman for Spanish Speakers

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Meaning of travelling salesman in English

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Examples of travelling salesman

Word of the Day

a toy made from cloth and filled with a soft material so that it is pleasant to hold, often in the form of an animal

Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy

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traveling salesman

• a male representative of a business firm who travels in an assigned territory soliciting orders for a company's products or services.

Word History and Origins

Origin of traveling salesman 1

Example Sentences

There she met Hugh Rodham, a traveling salesman eight years her senior, and after a five-year courtship, they married in 1942.

I tried several positions and am now a traveling salesman for a large carpet house.

To what class does the railroad fare paid by a traveling salesman belong?

George Roth, for all he was a traveling salesman, was a man of considerable determination.

The traveling salesman is probably the most effective agency in securing the retailer's orders for coffee.

Chamberlain, having once adopted the role of a garrulous traveling salesman, followed it up with zest.

More About Traveling Salesman

What does  traveling salesman mean.

A traveling salesman is a man whose job is to sell products or services by traveling to different places, often within a certain region or assigned territory.

A traveling salesman can be called a traveling salesperson . The equivalent term for a woman is traveling saleswoman . The plural of salesman is salesmen.

A salesman is often said to “work in sales”—in which sales refers to the type of occupation or the division or department within a company. The term salesman can refer to a man who sells directly to customers or to other businesses or organizations. Sometimes, salespersons sell things in person, such as at a retail store or dealership. They also commonly sell things over the phone or by communicating with people online.

A traveling salesman , though, typically meets with potential customers in person—this is often the whole point of traveling. In the past, it was common for some salesmen to travel door-to-door to make sales to people at home. Some traveling salesmen are door-to-door salesmen, while others may simply visit customers along a specific route. For example, a traveling salesman who sells wholesale food products may visit all of the restaurants within an area.

The traveling salesman problem refers to a math problem that involves determining the shortest route through several points. It’s sometimes called the traveling salesperson problem. 

Example: To be a successful traveling salesman, you have to know the territory and the people in it.

Where does  traveling salesman come from?

The first records of the term traveling salesman come from the 1870s ( traveling salesperson didn’t enter widespread use until about 100 years later). Salesman formed with the ending -man , which is used in many other terms that specify occupation, such as businessman and fisherman. This ending can be replaced with -woman or the gender-neutral -person , as in saleswoman and salesperson.

Being a traveling salesman is a notoriously hard job. They often have to be on the road for long stretches of time. And, like most salespeople, many traveling salesmen are at least partly paid on commission —a percentage of sales that goes into their pay. This means their pay is determined by how many sales they make. Willy Loman, the main character in the 1949 Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman , is a traveling salesman.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to traveling salesman ? 

• traveling salesmen (plural)

What are some synonyms for traveling salesman ?

• traveling salesperson

What are some words that share a root or word element with traveling salesman ? 

• traveling saleswoman
• traveling salesman problem
• sales representative
• businessman

What are some words that often get used in discussing traveling salesman ?

• door-to-door

How is  traveling salesman used in real life?

Traveling salesman is most likely to be used to refer to someone’s occupation. A traveling salesman’s job title is more likely to be something like regional sales rep.

"My great-grandfather worked as a traveling salesman in the Andes of Argentina … I tried to recreate the experience my great-grandfather must have gone through, stopping in small towns & big cities." — Jordan Salama '19: https://t.co/NKiYJopUxn #TellUsTigers pic.twitter.com/l0kccBFCM6 — Princeton University (@Princeton) April 20, 2018

My Nana, as a young woman, Played the piano in the movie theater for silent films. Later she worked at Lord&Taylors in NYC selling gloves and handbags. Her husband, my Poppop, was a traveling salesman for GE/Hotpoint. — Nancy Vienneau (@NancyVienneau) July 27, 2020

At the peak of its popularity, I was a traveling salesman w a 13 state territory. @GuyFieri saved me from the chains https://t.co/FRPX1wzC9b — Max Wastler (@maxwastler) September 7, 2016

Try using  traveling salesman !

True or False? 

The traveling salesman problem refers to the difficulty of finding nice bathrooms to use while on the road.