sell

[sel]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sell ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), sold, sell·ing.

to transfer (goods) to or render (services) for another in exchange for money; dispose of to a purchaser for a price: He sold the car to me for $1000.

to deal in; keep or offer for sale: He sells insurance. This store sells my favorite brand.

to make a sale or offer for sale to: He'll sell me the car for $1000.

to persuade or induce (someone) to buy something: The salesman sold me on a more expensive model than I wanted.

to persuade or induce someone to buy (something): The clerk really sold the shoes to me by flattery.

to make sales of: The hot record sold a million copies this month.

to cause to be accepted, especially generally or widely: to sell an idea to the public.

to cause or persuade to accept; convince: to sell the voters on a candidate.

to accept a price for or make a profit of (something not a proper object for such action): to sell one's soul for political power.

to force or exact a price for: The defenders of the fort sold their lives dearly.

Informal. to cheat, betray, or hoax.

verb (used without object), sold, sell·ing.

to engage in selling something.

to be on sale.

to offer something for sale: I like this house—will they sell?

to be employed to persuade or induce others to buy, as a salesperson or a clerk in a store: One sister is a cashier and the other sells.

to have a specific price; be offered for sale at the price indicated (followed by at or for): Eggs used to sell at sixty cents a dozen. This shirt sells for thirty dollars.

to be in demand by buyers: On a rainy day, umbrellas really sell.

to win acceptance, approval, or adoption: Here's an idea that'll sell.

noun

an act or method of selling.

Stock Exchange. a security to be sold.

Informal. a cheat; hoax.

Verb Phrases

sell off, to sell, especially at reduced prices, in order to get rid of: The city is selling off a large number of small lots at public auction.

sell out,

to dispose of entirely by selling.
to betray (an associate, one's country, a cause, etc.); turn traitor: He committed suicide rather than sell out to the enemy.

sell up, British. to sell out: She was forced to sell up her entire stock of crystal.

Idioms

sell short. short(def 49).

sell (someone) a bill of goods. bill of goods(def 3).

Origin of sell

before 900; Middle English sellen (v.), Old English sellan orig., to give, hence, give up (someone) to an enemy, betray, exchange for money; cognate with Old Norse selja, Low German sellen, Gothic saljan to give up, sell, orig., to cause to take; akin to Greek heleîn to take

Related formssell·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for sell

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sell ON THESAURUS.COM

1. exchange, vend.

Synonym study

1. See trade.

Antonyms for sell

1. buy.

sell

[sel]

noun, adjective, pronoun Scot.

self.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sell

handle, auction, move, trade, close, advertise, hawk, peddle, market, barter, vend, persuade, pitch, dump, dispose, snow, boost, stock, exchange, spiel

Examples from the Web for sell

Contemporary Examples of sell

The Dallas Cowboys sell out their state-of-the art football stadium.
Will Texas Stay Texan?
David Fontana
December 29, 2014
As more people come online, the most basic tasks—such as going out to the market to sell produce—will become more efficient.
Silicon Valley Sets Its Sights on Africa
Christian Borys
December 22, 2014
Along the Prado they used to sell slaves on the auction block, too.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
Question 9: If the female captive was impregnated by her owner, can he then sell her?
ISIS Jihadis Get ‘Slavery for Dummies’
Jamie Dettmer
December 9, 2014
We sell about $5,000 of music per month through iTunes and Loudr.
How Much Money Does a Band Really Make on Tour?
Jack Conte
December 8, 2014

Historical Examples of sell

I've turned peddler, and would like to sell you some blueberries.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
And do women who sell themselves ever find any real pleasure in the bargain?
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Put a halter round her neck, and sell her for a pot of beer.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
It occurred to him that he could sell them at a market store in the village.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
I'll give you two cents a pound for as many as you want to sell.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for sell

sell

verb sells, selling or sold

to dispose of or transfer or be disposed of or transferred to a purchaser in exchange for money or other consideration; put or be on sale

to deal in (objects, property, etc)he sells used cars for a living

(tr) to give up or surrender for a price or rewardto sell one's honour

to promote or facilitate the sale of (objects, property, etc)publicity sells many products

to induce or gain acceptance ofto sell an idea

(intr) to be in demand on the marketthese dresses sell well in the spring

(tr) informal to deceive or cheat

(tr foll by on) to persuade to accept or approve (of)to sell a buyer on a purchase

sell down the river informal to betray

sell oneself

to convince someone else of one's potential or worth
to give up one's moral or spiritual standards, etc

sell short

informalto disparage or belittle
financeto sell securities or goods without owning them in anticipation of buying them before delivery at a lower price

noun

the act or an instance of sellingCompare hard sell, soft sell

informal

a trick, hoax, or deception
Irisha great disappointmentthe service in the hotel was a sell

See also sell in, sell off, sell out, sell up

Derived Formssellable, adjective

Word Origin for sell

Old English sellan to lend, deliver; related to Old Norse selja to sell, Gothic saljan to offer sacrifice, Old High German sellen to sell, Latin cōnsilium advice

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

Word Origin and History for sell

Old English sellan "to give, furnish, supply, lend; surrender, give up; deliver to; promise," from Proto-Germanic *saljan "offer up, deliver" (cf. Old Norse selja "to hand over, deliver, sell;" Old Frisian sella, Old High German sellen "to give, hand over, sell;" Gothic saljan "to offer a sacrifice"), ultimately from PIE root *sel- (3) "to take, grasp."

Meaning "to give up for money" had emerged by c.1000, but in Chaucer selle still can mean "to give." Students of Old English learn early that the word that looks like sell usually means "give." An Old English word for "to sell" was bebycgan, from bycgan "to buy."

Slang meaning "to swindle" is from 1590s. The noun phrase hard sell is recorded from 1952. To sell one's soul is from c.1570. Sell-by date is from 1972. To sell like hot cakes is from 1839. Selling-point attested from 1959.

To sell (someone) down the river is first recorded 1927, but probably from or with recollection of slavery days, on notion of sale from the Upper South to the cotton plantations of the Deep South (attested in this literal sense since 1851).

Idioms and Phrases with sell

sell

In addition to the idioms beginning with sell

sell a bill of goods
sell down the river
sell like hot cakes
sell off
sell oneself
sell out
sell short
sell someone on

also see:

hard sell
like hot cakes, sell