reserve price

American  

noun

1. floor price.

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reserve price British  

noun

1. Also called (esp Scot and US): upset price.  the minimum price acceptable to the owner of property being auctioned or sold

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Etymology

Origin of reserve price

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

As a yearling, the colt didn’t meet his reserve price of $95,000, so Kahn and Hidden Brook pointed him to a 2-year-old in training sale last year at Ocala.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Pakistan's Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah have also registered at the highest men's reserve price of £100,000.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

No stalking horse bid would be sought to set a reserve price in the auction, according to a court filing.

From Reuters • Oct. 23, 2023

Then, at the last minute, the auction houses had to adjust to demand by lowering the reserve price, the minimum at which an item will sell.

From New York Times • May 22, 2023

At the same time, the original sketch of David's "Serment du Jeu de Paume" did not find a purchaser at 2500 francs, the reserve price.

From An Englishman in Paris Notes and Recollections by Albert D.