Stock Exchange. a sudden and marked decline in stock or bond prices resulting from widespread selling.
an act or instance of liquidating assets or subsidiaries, as by divestiture.
First recorded in 1935–40; noun use of verb phrase sell off
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Its 10% decline for the day so far suggests we’re in the ‘despair’ part of the sell-off, where traders are simply trying to rush to the exit before everyone else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
They expect shares to rebound after the initial sell-off, which they see as headline-driven.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Retail investors often view drops in shares as buying opportunities, treating each sell-off as a "test of conviction", she says, but they need to be aware of "how painful valuation resets can be".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Asian equities fluctuated Tuesday following a tech-led sell-off on Wall Street as investors again questioned a long-running AI-fuelled boom, while crude largely held losses that came on the back of positive US-Iran talks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 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
"Fury over Fifa plan to sell off World Cup" is the i Paper's headline, writing that it comes after its boss "Gianni Infantino plans to sell stakes to private investors, potentially earning him millions".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
That’s why tech stocks sometimes sell off along with bond prices when there’s a strong jobs report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
With the trade deadline on Aug. 2, they could make some moves to improve this season or sell off their veteran assets and attempt to rebuild again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
All of those potential stock reactions are likely to be short lived though, and if the overall market and semiconductors sell off due to the export restrictions, both pullbacks would be a “buying opportunity.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
Many horsemen were forced to abandon the sport and sell off their farms and horses.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
