traveling salesman

noun

: a traveling representative of a business concern who solicits orders usually in an assigned territory

Examples of traveling salesman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The effort required increases exponentially with the size of the problem; this is the case, for example, with finding the optimal route when given a series of parameters, as in the mathematical puzzle the traveling salesman problem. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2026

In the 1990s, University of Southern California computer scientist Leonard Adleman solved the famous traveling salesman problem using nothing more than strings of nucleotides and biochemistry. — Mike McRae 22, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026

The pair were born to Leo Steinem, a traveling salesman, and Ruth Steinem. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026

According to legend, a traveling salesman saw the escape artist in the booth and locked him inside, supposedly causing Houdini to furiously attempt to kick his way out. — Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for traveling salesman

• salesmen

Kids Definition

traveling salesman

noun

: a traveling representative of a business who solicits orders