sell
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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to engage in selling something.
Investment advisors agree that it’s time to sell.
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to be sold; to draw sales: The game sold poorly in Japan.
His album is selling well.
The game sold poorly in Japan.
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to offer something for sale.
I like this house—will they sell?
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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
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an act or method of selling.
Your home could be a profitable sell.
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Stock Exchange. a security to be sold.
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Informal. a cheat; hoax.
verb phrase
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sell out
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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.
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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
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to induce or gain acceptance of
to sell an idea
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(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
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informal to betray
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to convince someone else of one's potential or worth
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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:
Trott took the helm of Rio Tinto nearly a year ago, promising to improve productivity, cut costs and sell assets in an effort to simplify the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Tottenham held talks to sign Savinho last summer, but the Etihad club were not looking to sell at that stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Some sell a business and take time off after to regroup before starting something new.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
"We primarily sell our products to well-known partners, including OEMs, who help us ensure that all sales comply with US export control rules," the spokesperson said, using the acronym for original equipment manufacturers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Once again, believers and skeptics filled news columns with letters, helping to sell more papers.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Crucially, the new lower prices do not cover everything Primark sells.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Joe Gerrity, the CEO of Crescent Canna, which sells hemp-infused seltzers, told Salon that from the hemp side of things, there’s the perception that “Republicans are a lot stronger.”
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
The company is also well-known for its viral short videos, in which its internet-famous sneaker-authenticator Rami Almordaah evaluates, buys, and sells rare sneakers that often cost thousands of dollars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
GM still sells a lineup of EVs and is developing new ones but has shifted those plans due to weaker demand and regulatory changes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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
For instance, the suit alleges that in 2024 Penske Media sold “Variety Golden Globes” dinner series offering access to Golden Globes voters at $70,000 apiece, as cited in media reports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Hogh's career has been a slow burner since he came through the youth ranks with local club Randers then was sold to second-tier Hobro after an injury-hit spell, including a loan to Valur in Iceland.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
He had run product development for Visa’s global money-movement business and sold his own payments company, YellowPepper, to Visa in 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Japan has not sold off its Treasury bondholdings, no Treasury auction has failed, and people have predicted a Japanese debt reckoning for 30 years while being wrong every single time.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I sold them the techniques of the Romans. Do you know the phalanx? No? Well, they do. And they owe it to me.”
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
His store was the first in New York City to stock Loonen, selling 2,700 bottles in its first two weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
He adds that investors should remember the saying of the late Charlie Munger, longtime vice chairman of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway: “The big money is not in the buying and selling but in the waiting.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Many of the farmers are struggling,” said Griffith, who has been selling his produce at the Central Avenue Farmers Market for 15 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
In 2022, J&J said it would stop making and selling its talc-based baby powder around the world.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
After the parade ends, the street peddlers appear, selling honey-and-fig and rosewater-and-pistachio flavors of ice cream, so refreshing in the unusually warm weather.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
