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oversold

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

First recorded in 1570–80; over- + sell1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

magnifyexaggerateoverestimateovervalueoversellexceedoverpraiseoverprize

Examples from the Web for oversold

Historical Examples

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

    The Galloping Ghost

    Roy J. Snell

  • 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
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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