fire sale
Americannoun
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a special sale of merchandise actually or supposedly damaged by fire.
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a sale, as of assets, at reduced prices, in order to raise money quickly.
noun
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a sale of goods at reduced prices after a fire at a shop or factory
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any instance of offering goods or assets at greatly reduced prices to ensure a quick sale
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( as modifier )
fire-sale prices
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fire sale
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
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.
Plus, Trump’s late-night social posts, the fire sale on M.B.A.s and how we’ll travel in 20 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Even if I distributed the proceeds from a fire sale to them, our staff would struggle.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
A sudden loss of faith in a stablecoins could see them cashed in all at once, prompting a "fire sale" of their reserve assets that "could affect the functioning of US Treasury markets", they wrote.
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
There’s a fire sale on American academics right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
Mary Mendana, wife of the Portuguese Consul, remembered her with a five-dollar box of candy and a mandarin coat that would have fetched three-quarters of a hundred dollars at a fire sale.
From On the Makaloa Mat by London, Jack
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.
