sell
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sells,
present (3rd person singular)
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sold,
past participle, past
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selling
present participle
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to transfer (goods) to or render (services) for another in exchange for money; dispose of to a purchaser for a price.
He sold the car to me for $1000.
- Antonyms:
- buy
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to deal in; keep or offer for sale.
He sells insurance. This store sells my favorite brand.
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to make a sale or offer for sale to.
He'll sell me the car for $1000.
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to persuade or induce (someone) to buy something.
The salesman sold me on a more expensive model than I wanted.
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to persuade or induce someone to buy (something).
The clerk really sold the shoes to me by flattery.
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to make sales of.
The hot record sold a million copies this month.
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to cause to be accepted, especially generally or widely.
to sell an idea to the public.
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to cause or persuade to accept; convince.
to sell the voters on a candidate.
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to accept a price for or make a profit of (something not a proper object for such action).
to sell one's soul for political power.
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to force or exact a price for.
The defenders of the fort sold their lives dearly.
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Informal. to cheat, betray, or hoax.
verb (used without object)
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sells,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sold,
past participle, past
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selling
present participle
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to engage in selling something.
Investment advisors agree that it’s time to sell.
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to be sold; to draw sales: The game sold poorly in Japan.
His album is selling well.
The game sold poorly in Japan.
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to offer something for sale.
I like this house—will they sell?
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to be employed to persuade or induce others to buy, as a salesperson or a clerk in a store.
One sister is a cashier and the other sells.
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to have a specific price; be offered for sale at the price indicated (followed by at orfor ).
Eggs used to sell at sixty cents a dozen. This shirt sells for thirty dollars.
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to be in demand by buyers.
On a rainy day, umbrellas really sell.
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to win acceptance, approval, or adoption.
Here's an idea that'll sell.
noun
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an act or method of selling.
Your home could be a profitable sell.
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Stock Exchange. a security to be sold.
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Informal. a cheat; hoax.
verb phrase
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sell out
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to dispose of entirely by selling.
They sold out of Johnny's brownies before the bake sale was half over.
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to betray (an associate, one's country, one’s principles, a cause, etc.).
He would never sell out to the enemy.
-
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sell up to sell out.
She was forced to sell up her entire stock of crystal.
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sell off to sell, especially at reduced prices, in order to get rid of.
The city is selling off a large number of small lots at public auction.
idioms
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sell someone a bill of goods, bill of goods.
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sell short. short.
noun
verb
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to dispose of or transfer or be disposed of or transferred to a purchaser in exchange for money or other consideration; put or be on sale
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to deal in (objects, property, etc)
he sells used cars for a living
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(tr) to give up or surrender for a price or reward
to sell one's honour
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to promote or facilitate the sale of (objects, property, etc)
publicity sells many products
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to induce or gain acceptance of
to sell an idea
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(intr) to be in demand on the market
these dresses sell well in the spring
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informal (tr) to deceive or cheat
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to persuade to accept or approve (of)
to sell a buyer on a purchase
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informal to betray
-
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to convince someone else of one's potential or worth
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to give up one's moral or spiritual standards, etc
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-
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informal to disparage or belittle
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finance to sell securities or goods without owning them in anticipation of buying them before delivery at a lower price
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noun
Synonym Usage
See trade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sellsimple
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sellssimple
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have soldperfect
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has soldperfect
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am sellingprogressive
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are sellingprogressive
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is sellingprogressive
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have been sellingperfect progressive
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has been sellingperfect progressive
Past
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soldsimple
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had soldperfect
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was sellingprogressive
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were sellingprogressive
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had been sellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sell
First recorded before 900; Middle English sellen, Old English sellan, originally, “to give,” hence, “to give up (someone) to an enemy, betray, exchange for money”; cognate with Old Norse selja, Low German sellen, Gothic saljan “to give up, sell,” originally, “to cause to take”; akin to Greek heleîn “to take, grasp”
Explanation
To sell is to exchange a thing or a service for money. You could sell lemonade from a table on the sidewalk, or sell hotdogs at a baseball game. When a business or store carries certain products for purchase, they sell those things; a car lot sells automobiles, and a bookstore sells books and magazines. Sometimes people say that an item "sells at" or "sells for" a certain price: "Normally, those candy bars sell for a dollar each." When something sells out, it's totally gone, but when a person sells out, they give up their principles for money or popularity.
Vocabulary lists containing sell
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.
See Examples For:
Life Surge says headline speakers such as Tebow are not hired to sell its financial programs.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Should she sell her rental home and pay $100,000 in capital gains?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
The U.K. will sell government bonds maturing in 2036 on Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
When filmmaker John Wilson was in between jobs after finishing his HBO show “How To With John Wilson” during the writers’ strike, he attended a seminar on how to write and sell a Hallmark film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Imagine you have been sent to sell your family’s cow at the market, but instead you trade the cow for a handful of beans.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
By 2040, Percoco estimates Tesla could generate $17 billion in software revenue a year from the Semi, assuming it sells well.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
While the country sells a record number of goods around the world, consumers at home are holding back.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
The corporate fight won’t just be tech versus tech, but tech versus every major corporation that sells to consumers.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
“The People’s Caviar,” reads the tagline for Cavi, a Miami brand that sells several varieties, including sunny yellow 125g tins of Osetra caviar for $269.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
“It's not a bookstore. It's a book...spot. This guy sells books on the corner.”
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
The company has its own auction house, which last year sold the late Pope Francis’ M-A camera for roughly $7.5 million, and has started selling refurbished models through its stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Glucosamine is widely sold without a prescription and is especially popular among older adults who take it for joint discomfort and joint health.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
In 2023, the owners sold the quarry to Grand Lone Pine Canyon Enterprises LLC, a West Covina company whose members include Treiss International Corp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
At a pop-up event, A24 sold “Primetime” merch featuring another Hansen quote: “What would’ve happened if I wasn’t here?”
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
The credit default swaps sold by AIG FP that insured pools of such loans proved to be a good business.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Years before BTS were selling out Wembley Stadium and Blackpink were headlining Hyde Park, Big Bang were already proving Korean pop could succeed far beyond Asia.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
It started selling the world’s first 35mm film camera in 1925.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
"We were standing in front of a shop selling necklaces costing 15,000 euros. It's quite a stark contrast," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Most of its revenue still comes from making licensed characters and selling them through retailers, online and at events.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Their—soon to be everyone’s—nifty solution to the problem of selling the lower floors appears, in retrospect, almost magical.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
