sales
Americannoun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of sales
First recorded in 1820–30, for the adjective
Explanation
When a company’s sales are down, it hasn’t been making money. The word sales refers to income. If a bathing suit company’s sales are low, it should stop making wool bikinis. Sales is also the plural of “sale.” If a jewelry maker is worried about sales during the year's slow months, he might offer a discount. And when a big company focuses too much on sales, they sometimes lose track of the other aspects of doing business. Stores have big sales. The job or activity of selling things is also known as sales, so you could have a sales job, or even a title like "Director of Sales" or "sales representative."
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.
Shein has been looking for new revenue streams since President Trump’s tariffs began hurting its apparel sales in the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Other pieces have sold for higher prices in private sales.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Total sales rose 4.8% to $41.77 billion, above the FactSet consensus of $41.59 billion.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
It is expected to report a sales and profit lift after reporting weak results in the same quarter last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
I’d imagined showing him the ledgers filled with sales and the lists of new business contacts when he returned.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
