sale

American  

[seyl] / seɪl /

noun

1. the act of selling.

2. a quantity sold.

3. opportunity to sell; demand.

   slow sale.

4. a special disposal of goods, as at reduced prices.

5. transfer of property for money or credit.

6. an auction.

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idioms

1. on sale, able to be bought at reduced prices.

2. for sale, offered to be sold; made available to purchasers.

sale ¹ British  

/ seɪl /

noun

1. the exchange of goods, property, or services for an agreed sum of money or credit

2. the amount sold

3. the opportunity to sell; market

   there was no sale for luxuries

4. the rate of selling or being sold

   a slow sale of synthetic fabrics

5. 1. an event at which goods are sold at reduced prices, usually to clear old stocks

   2. ( as modifier )

      sale bargains

6. an auction

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Sale ² British  

/ seɪl /

noun

1. a town in NW England, in Trafford unitary authority, Greater Manchester: a residential suburb of Manchester. Pop: 55 234 (2001)

2. a city in SE Australia, in SE Victoria: centre of an agricultural region. Pop: 12 854 (2001)

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Salé ³ British  

/ sale /

noun

1. a port in NW Morocco, on the Atlantic adjoining Rabat. Pop: 880 000 (2003)

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sale More Idioms  

1. see close the sale; on sale; white sale.

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Other Word Forms

• intersale noun
• nonsale noun
• subsale noun

Etymology

Origin of sale

First recorded before 1050; Middle English; late Old English sala; cognate with Old Norse, Old High German sala; cf. sell ¹

Explanation

A sale is what occurs whenever an object or service is given in return for a payment of money. The sale of your old bike will happen more quickly if you price it at $50 instead of $500. You can talk about the sale of your next door neighbor's house, and you can also describe the house as "for sale," or available to be purchased. When a store has a sale, it means goods temporarily cost less than usual — you can also say that things at that store are "on sale." The word sale comes from the Old English sala, from a Germanic root.

Example Sentences

Critics have said that contracts keep ranchers from getting a better deal than they could get selling at current market prices in sale barns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The cancellation and sale of her home come after she admitted to Us Weekly that she and Sabara had been attending marriage counseling while she was working on her upcoming album.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

“The sale also enables us to continue strengthening our financial and operational focus on the company’s core businesses.”

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

The firm operated a major packinghouse in Frostproof, where fresh fruit was boxed for sale for roughly 70 years.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The litany of food items available for sale in the Sinpo Market was always fascinating to Jinjoo.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Related Words

• auction
• business
• buying
• deal
• demand
• marketing
• purchase
• reduction
• selling
• trade
• transaction