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• sell-off
  sell-off

  noun

  a sudden and marked decline in stock or bond prices resulting from widespread selling.
• sell off
  sell off

  verb

  (tr, adverb) to sell (remaining or unprofitable items), esp at low prices

sell-off

American  

[sel-awf, -of] / ˈsɛlˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Sometimes selling-off

noun

1. Stock Exchange. a sudden and marked decline in stock or bond prices resulting from widespread selling.

2. an act or instance of liquidating assets or subsidiaries, as by divestiture.

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sell off British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to sell (remaining or unprofitable items), esp at low prices

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sell off Idioms  

1. Get rid of by selling, often at reduced prices. For example, The jeweler was eager to sell off the last of the diamond rings. [c. 1700] Also see sell out, def. 1.

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Etymology

Origin of sell-off

First recorded in 1935–40; noun use of verb phrase sell off

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sell-off sell off

At a meeting of Fifa's Council last week, Infantino apologised for his World Cup sell-off plan, but failed to offer a full explanation for how the proposal was devised.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

He said that the French debt blow-up could end, however, pointing to a sell-off in oil prices as a potential trigger.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

A sell-off in French government bonds amid a budget standoff and after violent protests pushed the yield on the benchmark 10-year note past five percent Wednesday, the highest level since 2002.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

"The US equity sell-off reflected a reassessment of the economics underpinning the AI investment boom rather than a simple downgrade to end-demand," said National Australia Bank's Rodrigo Catril.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

To Steve Eisman at FrontPoint Partners, the market seemed mainly stupid or delusional: A financial culture that had experienced so many tiny panics followed by robust booms saw any sell-off as merely another buying opportunity.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

In September, a US judge declined to order Google to sell off parts of its advertising technology business, imposing restrictions on how it operates instead.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Stocks already under pressure sell off even further, while other companies’ stocks are sold just for those tax-loss strategies.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The U.S. bond market continued to sell off, pushing yields higher, as oil prices remained volatile amid conflicting headlines between the U.S. and Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The firms downsize staff and sell off parts of the purchased company to create dividends, all while charging the purchased corporation management fees for their trouble.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

Said so many crops was blowed away that lots of sharecroppers starved and even the Tanners got sunk so low they had to sell off some slaves.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

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Related Words

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