sold
Americanverb
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Explanation
Something that's sold has been exchanged for money. When new neighbors buy the house across the street, you'll see a sign appear in its front yard that says "Sold." Once you sell something, you can describe it as sold, whether it's a sold item at your yard sale, waiting beside the driveway for its buyer to pick it up, or the sold trees at the Christmas tree farm, marked with colored tape. The word sold comes from sell and its root meaning of "offer up or deliver." Offer up the highest bid on a painting at an auction and you'll hear the auctioneer call out, "Sold!"
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.
Sold in December to a South Korean company, it is now the Hanwha Philly Shipyard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025
In 1974, they recorded a cover of Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World, returning Lulu to the top 10 after a five-year gap.
From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025
Sold under the brand Leap Years, Sinclair’s dog supplements can cost about $100 for a one-month supply and promise “more vitality,” “more energy,” “more life.”
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2024
Sold in three flavors, Respawn by 5 could lure customers from smaller brands like Rev Energy Gum, which contains caffeine.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 7, 2024
Sold separately, we are greeted with an equal mix of curiosity, civility, and resignation.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
