sellout
Americannoun
-
Informal. a person who compromises their personal values, integrity, talent, etc., for money or personal advancement.
-
Informal. a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor.
-
an act or instance of selling out.
-
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.
As the first notes played, the sellout crowd of 66,925 started singing, quickly drowning out the loudspeakers.
From Barron's • Jul. 5, 2026
While not a "fair comparison" due to the compressed schedule compared to the World Cup, Swift coming to town was "a city-wide sellout type of event", Jenkins said.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
That brought the sellout crowd back into the game too, with many fans, who had been booing minutes earlier, rhythmically chanting, “We want playoffs!”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
The viral fried chicken at Yankee Stadium is a sellout.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
I actually haven’t talked to him since he called me a sellout and made me the butt of his jokes to Shana.
From "On the Come Up" 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.
