peddle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to carry (small articles, goods, wares, etc.) from place to place for sale at retail; hawk.
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to deal out, distribute, or dispense, especially in small quantities.
to peddle radical ideas.
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to sell (drugs) illicitly.
verb (used without object)
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to go from place to place with goods, wares, etc., for sale at retail.
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to occupy oneself with trifles; trifle.
verb
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to go from place to place selling (goods, esp small articles)
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(tr) to sell (illegal drugs, esp narcotics)
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(tr) to advocate (ideas) persistently or importunately
to peddle a new philosophy
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archaic (intr) to trifle
Other Word Forms
- repeddle verb (used with object)
- unpeddled adjective
Etymology
Origin of peddle
First recorded in 1525–35; apparently back formation from peddler; peddle in def. 5, reinforced by piddle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers have also warned that X's model -- allowing premium accounts to earn payouts based on engagement -- has turbocharged the financial incentive to peddle false or sensational content.
From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026
Perhaps predictably, others have been using the post to boost their own scams, latching onto the moment to peddle their medbed products or even try to sell the medbed cards promised in the video.
From Slate • Sep. 29, 2025
The growing allure of watches with A-list history was enticing people to peddle dubious timepieces.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025
The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress took to Instagram to advertise her wellness brand’s Black Friday sale, posing in front of her showering husband to peddle discounted candles, body creams, and linen sprays.
From Salon • Nov. 30, 2024
Meng gets on his bike and slowly begins to peddle, breaking Chou’s hold on my hand.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.