salesperson

salesperson — noun

1. someone who works in a shop, a store, or for a company, showing products to cust

1.nounA2
Definition

someone who works in a shop, a store, or for a company, showing products to customers and helping them decide what to buy

Example

The salesperson showed Amihan three different phones before she chose the cheapest one.

pattern: salesperson + showed + [customer] + [product]

Rachid asked the salesperson whether the store could deliver the new sofa the next day.

Common collocations
  • experienced salesperson
  • friendly salesperson
  • car salesperson
  • salesperson at the counter
  • work as a salesperson
Synonyms
  • salesclerk

    mainly US; refers to someone who serves customers in a store

  • shop assistant

    mainly UK; usually works inside a shop, serving customers directly

  • sales representative

    sells products for a company, often by visiting businesses or clients rather than working in a shop

Usage Note

'salesperson' is gender-neutral and is preferred over 'salesman' or 'saleswoman' in modern professional contexts. The plural form is 'salespeople'.

Common Mistakes

The salesperson sell electronics.
The salesperson sells electronics.
'salesperson' is third-person singular, so the verb needs '-s'.
The salesperson at the counter were very kind.
The salesperson was very kind.
singular subject needs singular verb; use 'salespeople were' for plural.

Word family

  • sales
    nounA2
  • salesman
    nounB1
  • saleswoman
    nounB1
  • salespeople
    nounB1
  • sell
    verbA1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Salesperson' is the most general and gender-neutral term for anyone whose job involves selling products, whether in a store, by phone, or visiting clients. 'Salesclerk' (common in the US) refers specifically to someone who works behind a counter in a shop or department store. 'Shop assistant' is the British equivalent, also limited to in-store work. 'Sales representative' (or 'rep') suggests a role that involves travelling to meet potential buyers, negotiating contracts, and managing a sales territory — a more active, external-facing job than a shop-based role. For everyday use, 'salesperson' works in almost any selling context, while the other three are narrower in scope or region.

salesclerk ↗shop assistantsales representative

Common collocations

Nouns

  • good salesperson
  • experienced salesperson
  • friendly salesperson

Phrases

  • work as a salesperson
  • a salesperson at [shop/company]

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinFrenchEnglish

A modern English compound formed by joining 'sales' (from 'sale', Old English 'salu', meaning 'the exchange of goods for money') and 'person' (from Latin 'persona', via Old French 'persone', meaning 'human being'). The word was created in the mid-20th century to replace the gender-specific terms 'salesman' and 'saleswoman' with a neutral alternative.