Standard Lemma guide

peddler

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɛdlə/
  • General-American: /ˈpɛdlɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P EH1 D L ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An itinerant seller of small goods.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hawker, chapman, huckster, monger, colporteur, solicitor

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A drug dealer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A fake-news disseminator; A conspiracy-theory propagator.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pedlar, packman, hawker, pitchman

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: seller, marketer, vender, vendor, trafficker

Narrower terms: chapman, cheapjack, crier, muffin man, sandboy, transmigrante

5

noun

Meaning 5

an unlicensed dealer in illegal drugs

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pusher, drug peddler, drug dealer, drug trafficker

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor, dealer

History

Etymology

From Middle English pedlere, pedlare, pedeler, alteration of Middle English peddere (“hawker, peddler”), of uncertain origin. Compare Medieval Latin pedārius, from Latin pedāre (“to furnish with feet; prop up”).

Across languages

Translations

104 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جَوَّال (jawwāl) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Arabic: بَائِع مُتَجَوِّل (bāʔiʕ mutajawwil) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Armenian: չարչի (čʻarčʻi) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Azerbaijani: çərçi — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Belarusian: карабе́йнік (karabjéjnik) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Belarusian: каро́бачнік (karóbačnik) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Belarusian: піліпо́н (pilipón) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Belarusian: афе́ня (afjénja) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Belarusian: разно́счык (raznósčyk) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Bulgarian: амбулантен търговец (ambulanten tǎrgovec) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小販 /小贩 (xiǎofàn) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ngazidja Comorian: mcuuzi — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Czech: podomní prodavač — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Dutch: marskramer — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Dutch: venter — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Esperanto: kolportisto — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Finnish: kulkukauppias — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Finnish: kaupustelija — itinerant seller of small goods
  • French: colporteur — itinerant seller of small goods
  • French: marchand ambulant — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Galician: chioleiro — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Galician: mercachifre — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Galician: bofón — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Galician: bufariñeiro — itinerant seller of small goods
  • German: Hausierer — itinerant seller of small goods
  • German: Krämer — itinerant seller of small goods
  • German: Höker — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Greek: γυρολόγος (gyrológos) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ancient Greek: μεταβολεύς (metaboleús) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Hungarian: házaló — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Hungarian: ügynök — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Hungarian: vigéc — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Indonesian: pedagang asongan — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Irish: peidléir — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Irish: hácaeir — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Irish: joltaeir — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Irish: mangaire — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Irish: fear cairte — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Italian: padellaio — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Italian: vucumprà — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Japanese: 鬻人 (hisakihito) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Japanese: 鬻人 (hisagibito) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Japanese: 鬻女 (hisakime) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Japanese: 鬻女 (hisagime) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Kumyk: элтивчю (eltiwçü) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Kumyk: табушдурувчу (tabuşduruwçu) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Latin: circulātor — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Latin: circulātrix — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Macedonian: праматар (pramatar) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Norman: chinneux — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Norman: colporteux — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Norman: hotteux — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kramkar — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kremmar — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Occitan: colejaire — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Occitan: mercadieiron — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Polish: domokrążca — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Portuguese: camelô — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Portuguese: ambulante — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Portuguese: vendedor ambulante — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Portuguese: mascate — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Portuguese: vendilhão — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Portuguese: prestamista — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Romanian: negustor ambulant — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Romanian: telal — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Romanian: marchitan — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Romanian: tolbaș — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Romanian: coropcar — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Russian: коробе́йник (korobéjnik) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Russian: разно́счик (raznósčik) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Russian: офе́ня (ofénja) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Russian: лото́чник (lotóčnik) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Scottish Gaelic: ceannaiche-siubhail — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Spanish: buhonero — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Spanish: vendedor ambulante — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Spanish: mantero — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Spanish: topmantero — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Spanish: pregonero — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: krämare — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: nasare — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: hälare — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: säljare — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: månglare — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: handlande — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: handelsresande — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: knalle — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Swedish: hökare — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Turkish: çerçi — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوغچهجی (boğçacı) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ottoman Turkish: اسكیجی (eskici) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ottoman Turkish: قولتقجی (koltukcu) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ukrainian: коробе́йник (korobéjnyk) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ukrainian: офе́ня (ofénja) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Ukrainian: розно́шувач (roznóšuvač) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Welsh: pedler — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Welsh: pacmon — itinerant seller of small goods
  • Yiddish: פּעדלער (pedler) — itinerant seller of small goods
  • German: Schwätzer — fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator
  • German: Fabulant — fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator
  • German: Waschweib — fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator
  • Greek: διαδότης (diadótis) — fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator
  • Greek: διαδότρια (diadótria) — fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator
  • Macedonian: фанатизи́ран заго́ворник (fanatizíran zagóvornik) — fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator
  • Swedish: Krösa-Maja — fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator
Real reading context

peddler in complete knowledge articles