sell out

British  

verb

1. Also (chiefly Brit): sell up.  to dispose of (supplies of something) completely by selling

2. informal (tr) to betray, esp through a secret agreement

3. informal (intr) to abandon one's principles, standards, etc

---

noun

1. informal a performance for which all tickets are sold

2. a commercial success

3. informal a betrayal

4. informal a person who betrays their principles, standards, friends, etc

sell out Idioms  

1. Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company , or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago . [Late 1700s]

2. Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side . [ Slang ; late 1800s]

---

Example Sentences

Sawgrass put an exclamation mark on that before sell out crowds.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Tickets to Public Assembly’s word-of-mouth shows typically sell out within 30 minutes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Fans were encouraged to snap them up quickly before they sell out again.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Attendances at BKB venues are capped at 2,000 and the organisation's president David Tetreault says they generally sell out.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Don’t lay down, back down, bow down, run away, sell out yourself, sell into criticism.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers