Synonyms

garage sale

American

noun

a sale of used or unwanted household goods, personal items, bric-a-brac, etc., typically held in one's garage or yard.

garage sale British

noun

a sale of personal belongings or household effects held at a person's home, usually in the garage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of garage sale

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65

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.

Families and couples of a certain age might even haul out grandma’s treasured china and give it a good dusting — that is, if you didn’t offload it at a garage sale or eBay.

From Salon • Nov. 1, 2025

My partner got them for me for $5 from a neighbor’s garage sale.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025

The end result is like a vast, taxpayer-subsidized garage sale, much of it online, with the scale to rival most commercial retailers and the variety and sheer weirdness of a midcentury curiosity shop.

From Seattle Times • May 19, 2024

Alas, Mom unloaded my mint-condition Barbie treasures, and Patty’s, at a garage sale.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2023

But I remember once when I was doing yard work, there was a lady getting ready for a garage sale the next day.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023