door-to-door

[ dawr-tuh-dawr, dohr-tuh-dohr ]

adjective

1. calling, selling, canvassing, etc., at each house or apartment in an area, town, or the like:

   a door-to-door poll.

2. sent direct from the point of pickup to the point of delivery, as a shipment or order of merchandise.
3. covering the complete route of a door-to-door shipment, delivery, etc.:

   door-to-door carrying charges; door-to-door insurance.

adverb

1. in a door-to-door manner.

door to door

adjective

1. (of selling, canvassing, etc) from one house to the next
2. (of journeys, deliveries, etc) direct

Word History and Origins

Origin of door-to-door¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The Liberian AIDS commission is now going door-to-door to administer antiretroviral medications to known patients.

From The Daily Beast

The next green IPO will be from Vivint, a Utah-based company that sells solar panels door-to-door.

From The Daily Beast

That makes voter registration and door-to-door campaigning more important than ever.

From The Daily Beast

Her father lost his job at an opera company because he was Jewish, and had to find work as a door-to-door salesman.

From The Daily Beast

In the distance, hugging a T-wall, two Humvees idled door-to-door with their headlights on.

From The Daily Beast

They manufacture simple compositions like polishing waxes and sell them from door-to-door.

From Project Gutenberg

Just before the battle of Cerro Gordo there was a door-to-door canvass at Mexico; but only small sums can have been picked up.

From Project Gutenberg

Gracious, you wouldn't have to sell from door-to-door, would you?

From Project Gutenberg