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Synonyms

wholesaler

American  
[hohl-sayl-er] / ˈhoʊlˌseɪl ər /

noun

  • wholesalers
    plural
  1. a business that sells products primarily to manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other client companies rather than to end-use consumers, usually for less than the retail price.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Explanation

A wholesaler is a person or business that sells items to retail stores, which then sell them to individual customers for a higher price. You could also call a wholesaler a distributor. Anyone who sells goods to other businesses, rather than directly to customers, is a wholesaler. The bookshop in your town and the big-box store in a strip mall are both retailers; they buy goods from wholesalers, who sell them large quantities of books or patio furniture, etc., to be resold to individual shoppers.

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Vocabulary lists containing wholesaler

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:

Citadel Securities, the largest retail wholesaler, said that SpaceX had the highest retail order activity it had ever seen for an IPO auction.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026

Motor vehicle and parts wholesaler sales climbed 6.1% as supply-chain challenges eased.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Alderney Electricity is the main wholesaler for the island's fuel, which is shipped from the UK via Guernsey.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

Sysco agreed to buy family-owned wholesaler Jetro Restaurant Depot for $29.1 billion...

From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026

“I got new seats on order from the wholesaler in Sarasota, but they won’t be here till Wednesday.”

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

Robert K. Stumberg, professor at Georgetown Law and supply-chain expert, said grocers typically buy from wholesalers and rarely track their suppliers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

To restore Nike’s premium image, Sparks is ending online-sales partnerships with major Chinese wholesalers that flooded the market with discounts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Two wholesalers interviewed by AFP on condition of anonymity said they are still sourcing from Iran, notably via Omani ports.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

The government has capped stocks held by traders and wholesalers at 400 tonnes for three months to curb hoarding.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

On one occasion, Borgenicht realized that his only chance to undercut bigger firms was to convince the wholesalers to sell cloth to him directly, eliminating the middleman.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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