sellout
Americannoun
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sellouts
plural
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Informal. a person who compromises their personal values, integrity, talent, etc., for money or personal advancement.
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Informal. a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor.
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an act or instance of selling out.
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an entertainment, as a show or athletic event, for which all the seats are sold.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sellout
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase sell out
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:
In front of a sellout crowd of 19,187, Taylor claimed a split-decision victory in what was widely hailed as the fight of the year.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Hugh Johnston, chief financial officer for Disney, announced the sellout on the company’s earnings call.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The company also markets “hydrating hot chocolate,” which it said was an instant sellout and represents an effort to “de-seasonalize” the broader hydration business, which has historically been geared toward hot weather and athletic activity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
But the Dodgers’ 4-3 win on Wednesday wasn’t quite the pitcher’s duel it was advertised to be, in front of the Twins’ first sellout crowd of the season at Target Field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
And it’s just weird and uncomfortable, and I feel like a sellout.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
“The Palm House” is hard on perceived sellouts, such as Edmund’s commercially minded boss and an oddly two-faced TV producer who briefly enters Laura’s orbit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
The hosts get generational wealth and perhaps retain enough editorial freedom to look in the mirror and tell themselves they aren’t sellouts.
From Slate ● Apr. 7, 2026
Tickets for India-Pakistan games still fly off the shelves - the ICC reported sellouts within minutes.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2025
The fans give the Padres what they want: 33 sellouts in 55 home games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2024
“Then what? We just like all the other sellouts who leave and turn their backs on the neighborhood. We can change stuff around here, but instead we run? That’s what you wanna teach our kids?”
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
