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definitions

oversold

[oh-ver-sohld]
verb
  1. simple past tense and past participle of oversell.
adjective
  1. marked by prices considered unjustifiably low because of heavy and extensive selling: The stock market is oversold.
Compare overbought.

Origin of oversold

First recorded in 1875–80; over- + sold

oversell

[oh-ver-sel]
verb (used with object), o·ver·sold, o·ver·sell·ing.
  1. to sell more of (a stock, product, etc.) than can be delivered.
  2. to sell aggressively, as by using high-pressure merchandising techniques.
  3. to emphasize the good points of excessively and to a self-defeating extent: She so oversold the picnic that I became convinced I'd have a better time at the movies.
verb (used without object), o·ver·sold, o·ver·sell·ing.
  1. to sell something aggressively.
  2. to make extreme claims for something or someone.

Origin of oversell

First recorded in 1570–80; over- + sell1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for oversold

magnify, exaggerate, overestimate, overvalue, oversell, exceed, overpraise, overprize

Examples from the Web for oversold

Historical Examples of oversold

  • Some, fearing that the place had been oversold, were hastening to secure their seats.

  • The friend who sold you the plant, about whom I happen to know a lot, oversold you.

    I Walked in Arden

    Jack Crawford

  • It was believed that the market had been oversold, and the holders held.

    Sevenoaks

    J. G. Holland

  • This number was oversold with a printed edition of two million copies--a record never before achieved by any magazine.

  • This number was oversold with a printed edition of two million copies—a record never before achieved by any magazine.

British Dictionary definitions for oversold

oversell

verb -sells, -selling or -sold
  1. (tr) to sell more of (a commodity) than can be supplied
  2. to use excessively aggressive methods in selling (commodities)
  3. (tr) to exaggerate the merits of
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