sale

American  

[seyl] / seɪl /

noun

1. the act of selling. sell. selling.

2. a quantity sold. sell. sold.

3. opportunity to sell; demand.

   slow sale.

4. a special disposal of goods, as at reduced prices.

5. transfer of property for money or credit.

6. an auction.

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idioms

1. on sale, able to be bought at reduced prices.

2. for sale, offered to be sold; made available to purchasers.

sale ¹ British  

/ seɪl /

noun

1. the exchange of goods, property, or services for an agreed sum of money or credit

2. the amount sold

3. the opportunity to sell; market

   there was no sale for luxuries

4. the rate of selling or being sold

   a slow sale of synthetic fabrics

5. 1. an event at which goods are sold at reduced prices, usually to clear old stocks

   2. ( as modifier )

      sale bargains

6. an auction

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Sale ² British  

/ seɪl /

noun

1. a town in NW England, in Trafford unitary authority, Greater Manchester: a residential suburb of Manchester. Pop: 55 234 (2001)

2. a city in SE Australia, in SE Victoria: centre of an agricultural region. Pop: 12 854 (2001)

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Salé ³ British  

/ sale /

noun

1. a port in NW Morocco, on the Atlantic adjoining Rabat. Pop: 880 000 (2003)

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sale More Idioms  

1. see close the sale; on sale; white sale.

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Other Word Forms

• intersale noun
• nonsale noun
• subsale noun

Etymology

Origin of sale

First recorded before 1050; Middle English; late Old English sala; cognate with Old Norse, Old High German sala; sell ¹

Example Sentences

U.S. authorities approved Nvidia to ship AI chips to China, but Chinese government approval for sales is pending.

From Barron's

The housing market in general has been struggling with a lack of sales over the past year, as home prices and mortgage rates remained too high and out for reach for most home buyers.

From MarketWatch

Better late than never: A long-delayed report on sales at U.S. retailers in November signaled the holiday shopping season got off to a good start.

From MarketWatch

December existing-home sales are due at 10 a.m., followed by the Fed’s Beige Book at 2 p.m.

From MarketWatch

Retail sales grew by 0.6% in November to $735.9 billion, an improvement from a slight pullback by shoppers in October, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• auction
• business
• buying
• deal
• demand
• marketing
• purchase
• reduction
• selling
• trade
• transaction