salesman

salesman — noun

1. a man who works selling products or services, either in a store, to businesses,

1.nounB1
Definition

a man who works selling products or services, either in a store, to businesses, or directly to people's homes or offices.

Example

The salesman at the electronics store helped Nicholas find the right laptop for his studies.

collocation: [type of store] salesman

Rachid works as a car salesman and usually meets customers at the dealership on weekends.

pattern: works as + [type of] salesman

Common collocations
  • car salesman
  • insurance salesman
  • door-to-door salesman
  • used-car salesman
  • traveling salesman
  • salesman + showed [someone] [something]
  • salesman + explained [something]
  • salesman + helped [someone] [do something]
Synonyms
  • salesperson

    gender-neutral alternative that has largely replaced salesman in modern job descriptions

  • saleswoman

    female-specific counterpart; used when the gender of the worker is known

  • sales representative

    more formal title often used in business-to-business contexts, carrying a professional tone

  • vendor

    refers to the company or entity selling, not an individual; broader in scope

Antonyms
  • customer

    the person who buys from the salesman

  • buyer

    the person making the purchase; the opposite role in a transaction

Usage Note

Salesman is used specifically for men. Many companies now prefer the gender-neutral terms salesperson or sales associate, especially in job titles and formal descriptions.

Common Mistakes

She has worked as a salesman for five years.
She has worked as a saleswoman / salesperson for five years.
salesman refers only to men.
The company is a big salesman of electronic parts.
The company is a big seller of electronic parts.
salesman refers to a person, not an organisation.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Salesman is the traditional word for a man whose job is selling, but it is increasingly replaced by salesperson in job ads and official titles. Saleswoman is the female-specific form and is common where gender matters, such as in personal descriptions ('a saleswoman from the cosmetics counter'). Sales representative (or sales rep) is more formal and typically used in business-to-business settings, where the person represents a company's product line rather than working in a shop. Vendor is the broadest term and usually refers to the business itself ('a street-food vendor'), not an individual employee. For example, you would say 'the car salesman offered a test drive' but 'a sales representative from the software firm visited our office'; you would not call the software rep a 'salesman' unless the context is informal.

salesperson ↗saleswomansales representativevendor ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining the noun 'sale' (from Old English sellan, meaning 'to give, hand over') with 'man'. The compound salesman first appeared in the early 18th century, originally referring to a person employed to sell goods in a shop or on the road.