fire sale

noun

1. a special sale of merchandise actually or supposedly damaged by fire.

2. a sale, as of assets, at reduced prices, in order to raise money quickly.

fire sale

noun

1. a sale of goods at reduced prices after a fire at a shop or factory

2. 1. any instance of offering goods or assets at greatly reduced prices to ensure a quick sale

   2. ( as modifier )

      fire-sale prices

Other Word Forms

• fire-sale adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fire sale¹

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

On the other, the realities of La Liga mean constant fire sales.

Read more on BBC

Communities across the UK are paying for spiralling levels of council borrowing with a fire sale of publicly owned facilities, a BBC study has found.

Read more on BBC

As New York banks held fire sales of assets to meet a cash crunch, some 340 banks nationwide simply suspended operations, while industrial output shrank by 15% and unemployment hit an unprecedented 19%.

Read more on Salon

However, this is unlikely as any fire sale "would impoverish China more than it would hurt the US", according to Capital Economics.

Read more on BBC

Kashif Shabir was a successful property developer who agreed a £3m loan with Lloyds but claims he was pushed by the bank into what he calls a "fire sale" of his assets after the crash.

Read more on BBC