huckster

1 of 2

noun

huck·​ster ˈhək-stər How to pronounce huckster (audio)
1
: hawker, peddler
especially : one who sells or advertises something in an aggressive, dishonest, or annoying way
2
: one who produces promotional material for commercial clients especially for radio or television
hucksterism noun

huckster

2 of 2

verb

huckstered; huckstering ˈhək-st(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce huckster (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to deal in or bargain over
2
: to promote aggressively

Did you know?

Huckster comes from the Dutch noun hokester and verb hoeken, which means "to peddle."

Examples of huckster in a Sentence

Noun hucksters outside the auditorium selling everything from key chains to life-size cutouts of the performers
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The best parts are the musical ones, of course, but there's plenty of deliciously trashy John Waters-style cheese happening too, with silly subplots and exaggerated teen stereotypes (nerd, huckster, prep, secretly beautiful girl with glasses) all adding up to the perfect party movie. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 15 Sep. 2023 More than a century ago, hucksters peddled magic elixirs from wagons. David Klepper, Fortune Well, 31 Jan. 2024 The Christian Evangelicals there are a good test for candidates’ ability to message to the party’s base and can very quickly spot a huckster—or reward a Mike Huckabee. TIME, 14 Jan. 2024 Some became performers and hucksters, craftspeople and con artists, drifters and thieves. Caleb Madison, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2023 Like any religious huckster, though perhaps a shade more honest, Willie is a master of emotional manipulation and rhetorical force. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023 The Conjuring–verse is an exercise in branding, the brainchild of master hucksters Ed and Lorraine Warren. Vulture, 15 Sep. 2023 At the turn of the 20th century, the trans huckster Harry Allen was a notorious outlaw in the Pacific Northwest. Evan Moffitt, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023 Entrepreneurial huckster Vivek Ramaswamy has graduated from being the court jester of corporate governance to now becoming a serious contender for the GOP presidential nomination as some 5% of primary Republican voters indicate they are entertained by his antics. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English hukster, from Middle Dutch hokester, from hoeken to peddle

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of huckster was in the 13th century

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Dictionary Entries Near huckster

Cite this Entry

“Huckster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/huckster. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

huckster

noun
huck·​ster
ˈhək-stər
1
: one that peddles : hawker
hucksters selling souvenirs
2
: a writer of advertising especially for radio or television

More from Merriam-Webster on huckster

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