sell
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sells,
present (3rd person singular)
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sold,
past participle, past
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selling
present participle
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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.
- Antonyms:
- buy
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to deal in; keep or offer for sale.
He sells insurance. This store sells my favorite brand.
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to make a sale or offer for sale to.
He'll sell me the car for $1000.
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to persuade or induce (someone) to buy something.
The salesman sold me on a more expensive model than I wanted.
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to persuade or induce someone to buy (something).
The clerk really sold the shoes to me by flattery.
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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.
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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.
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Informal. to cheat, betray, or hoax.
verb (used without object)
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sells,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sold,
past participle, past
-
selling
present participle
-
to engage in selling something.
Investment advisors agree that it’s time to sell.
-
to be sold; to draw sales: The game sold poorly in Japan.
His album is selling well.
The game sold poorly in Japan.
-
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.
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to have a specific price; be offered for sale at the price indicated (followed by at orfor ).
Eggs used to sell at sixty cents a dozen. This shirt sells for thirty dollars.
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to be in demand by buyers.
On a rainy day, umbrellas really sell.
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to win acceptance, approval, or adoption.
Here's an idea that'll sell.
noun
-
an act or method of selling.
Your home could be a profitable sell.
-
Stock Exchange. a security to be sold.
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Informal. a cheat; hoax.
verb phrase
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sell out
-
to dispose of entirely by selling.
They sold out of Johnny's brownies before the bake sale was half over.
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to betray (an associate, one's country, one’s principles, a cause, etc.).
He would never sell out to the enemy.
-
-
sell up to sell out.
She was forced to sell up her entire stock of crystal.
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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.
idioms
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sell someone a bill of goods, bill of goods.
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sell short. short.
noun
verb
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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
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to deal in (objects, property, etc)
he sells used cars for a living
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(tr) to give up or surrender for a price or reward
to sell one's honour
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to promote or facilitate the sale of (objects, property, etc)
publicity sells many products
-
to induce or gain acceptance of
to sell an idea
-
(intr) to be in demand on the market
these dresses sell well in the spring
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informal (tr) to deceive or cheat
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to persuade to accept or approve (of)
to sell a buyer on a purchase
-
informal to betray
-
-
to convince someone else of one's potential or worth
-
to give up one's moral or spiritual standards, etc
-
-
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informal to disparage or belittle
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finance to sell securities or goods without owning them in anticipation of buying them before delivery at a lower price
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noun
Synonym Usage
See trade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sellsimple
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sellssimple
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have soldperfect
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has soldperfect
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am sellingprogressive
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are sellingprogressive
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is sellingprogressive
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have been sellingperfect progressive
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has been sellingperfect progressive
Past
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soldsimple
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had soldperfect
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was sellingprogressive
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were sellingprogressive
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had been sellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sell
First recorded before 900; Middle English sellen, Old English sellan, originally, “to give,” hence, “to give up (someone) to an enemy, betray, exchange for money”; cognate with Old Norse selja, Low German sellen, Gothic saljan “to give up, sell,” originally, “to cause to take”; akin to Greek heleîn “to take, grasp”
Explanation
To sell is to exchange a thing or a service for money. You could sell lemonade from a table on the sidewalk, or sell hotdogs at a baseball game. When a business or store carries certain products for purchase, they sell those things; a car lot sells automobiles, and a bookstore sells books and magazines. Sometimes people say that an item "sells at" or "sells for" a certain price: "Normally, those candy bars sell for a dollar each." When something sells out, it's totally gone, but when a person sells out, they give up their principles for money or popularity.
Vocabulary lists containing sell
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.
See Examples For:
BrickLink is used by Lego collectors worldwide to buy and sell secondhand Lego sets, source new bricks and purchase limited edition releases.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Stores sell cookies and sweet bread baked in his likeness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Investors worried that persistent inflation would force the Fed to keep interest rates higher for longer, prompting them to sell Treasurys or demand higher yields to compensate for taking greater risk.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026
The company’s Wolverine Blend strips sell for $200 for a box of 30 or $60 for a pouch of seven.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
“How come you didn’t sell anything? Did this professor have something to do with it?”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
“It certainly is going to put a cloud over Jensen and Nvidia for a while,” said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at advisory services firm Enderle Group, adding that Nvidia sells products to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
The new disclosures have raised questions about the Nvidia leader’s lobbying against export controls prohibiting sales of powerful AI chips within China and the company’s efforts to keep chips it sells from winding up there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
Like a lot of other wineries, Somerset is betting heavily on higher-priced wines, which it sells largely to wine-club members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
Conversely, he instantly sells if one of those companies decides not to raise its dividend — or cuts it.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026
In January 1877, Vincent begins work at Blusse & Van Braam, a shop that sells books, magazines, office supplies, maps, and prints, including reproductions of famous paintings produced by Goupil’s.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
They sold out within hours, leaving fans to join a waiting list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
The data comes ahead of the crucial Christmas run-in for retailers, which peaks at 23 toys sold every second in the UK.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Airlines have had this fight before, spending years wrestling with intermediaries like online travel agencies over the way their tickets are displayed and sold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
His gallerist and dealer, Larry Gagosian, adds much about Avedon the businessman and says a “Dovima” once sold for $2 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
The cover of “Spirit Rappings” sheet music, printed music sold often for home use, typically to be played on a piano.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The news soothed worries about the company's health after suffering heavy selling last month amid speculation that it could struggle to finance its vast debt pile as borrowing costs continued to rise.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
A committee of MPs is set to question Gordon Brothers, Poundland's US owners, on Wednesday following accusations that the investment firm hopes to profit from selling off Poundland's 600 stores and stock piecemeal.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
The Japanese carmaker has taken a series of restructuring steps to cut costs and address falling sales, including selling its headquarters and reducing manufacturing sites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Toyota executives plan to target commercial and off-road customers first before potentially selling the trucks to individual buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
All around are stores selling gold filigree jewelry and embroidered cloths in buildings where Jewish artisans must have labored centuries ago.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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