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• sell-off
  sell-off

  noun

  a sudden and marked decline in stock or bond prices resulting from widespread selling.
• sell off
  sell off

  verb

  (tr, adverb) to sell (remaining or unprofitable items), esp at low prices

sell-off

American  

[sel-awf, -of] / ˈsɛlˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Sometimes selling-off

noun

1. Stock Exchange. a sudden and marked decline in stock or bond prices resulting from widespread selling.

2. an act or instance of liquidating assets or subsidiaries, as by divestiture.

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sell off British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to sell (remaining or unprofitable items), esp at low prices

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sell off Idioms  

1. Get rid of by selling, often at reduced prices. For example, The jeweler was eager to sell off the last of the diamond rings. [c. 1700] Also see sell out, def. 1.

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Etymology

Origin of sell-off

First recorded in 1935–40; noun use of verb phrase sell off

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sell-off sell off

Rising concerns about global government debt levels have fueled a recent global bond sell-off, pushing yields to multiyear highs around the world, while the conflict in the Middle East has added to inflation fears.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The record sell-off of Dick’s Sporting Goods shares this week wasn’t just about recent flatlining sneaker demand at Foot Locker.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Tech companies are borrowing money to fund the development of advanced A.I. systems, for instance, which exacerbates the bond sell-off because investors think A.I.-powered economic growth will keep interest rates higher for longer.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has criticised Fifa president Gianni Infantino's World Cup sell-off plan, saying the organisation has "pressed the self-destruct button" by delivering "a self-inflicted wound".

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Mr. Van Dyke and Dad went to the union hall and sat around the table to inform the union leaders about the sell-off.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

“If Thursday’s event is merely an unveiling with limited vehicles committed to the road, we expect the stock to sell off through the event.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Palantir Technologies stock paces toward its worst day since February as Palo Alto Networks and other sector peers sell off.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Eurozone bonds also continued to sell off, with 10-year German Bund yields reaching their highest since 2011 while yields on U.K. 10-year government bonds climbed to their highest level since 2007.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The deal involving Kushner comes after he was part of the recent controversy surrounding Fifa president Gianni Infantino and an aborted plan to sell off stakes in the governing body's competitions to private investors.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The only way to raise money was to sell off the two things of value they owned—land or enslaved workers, their most valuable “property.”

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

• convert
• pay off
• quit
• reimburse
• repay