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.
The thinking is that those provisions protect the fund’s remaining investors from a rush to the exits that would force managers to sell underlying securities at fire sale prices.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Even if I distributed the proceeds from a fire sale to them, our staff would struggle.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
“The art collection is probably worth more than what the building is,” said McKechnie, who added that a fire sale isn’t a sustainable solution for the club’s financial woes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
There’s a fire sale on American academics right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
After the courtship had continued three years, the shoe merchant in preparing for a fire sale left too many tracks in the snow.
From Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The Searchlight by Holt, Mathew Joseph
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.
