sell
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sells,
present (3rd person singular)
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sold,
past participle, past
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selling
present participle
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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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sells,
present (3rd person singular)
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sold,
past participle, past
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selling
present participle
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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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-
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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:
The real reason the scheme works, however, is that people are overpaying him for Bitcoin, which enables him to buy more Bitcoin and sell more securities at favorable terms.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
But Seaport’s Goldberg argues that Cisco’s shift to design and sell systems for cloud providers came late.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
The businesses hope to license and sell the new, healthy trees or purchase them for their groves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
But why, when the country is in a housing crisis with a desperate need for affordable homes, are flats now struggling to sell?
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Indian Tom had about sixty head he wanted to sell; all kinds—horses, mules, ponies, and even a few donkeys.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Tareq Abu Dayyeh sells craftwork, souvenirs and antiquities in Gaza.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Cisco now sells custom-designed networking chips as raw components, as well as complete systems and switches and routers with chips built in.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
It also still sells an iPhone 16, though it raised the price on that, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Next up in the prediction markets, a two-bet parlay: Dodgers are eliminated early in the playoffs and Walter sells his stake in the team, with the over/under for his profit set at $8 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Sorry you could find nothing better to read. I write that rubbish because it sells, and ordinary people like it. Are you going to New York this winter?”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
"I picked soybeans and chickpeas in other people's fields. I also collected turmeric, processed it and sold it."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Russia sold diesel to Turkey, India and China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
English Premier League’s Chelsea says co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their stakes in the team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Some funds are “getting sold mainly on yield,” he noted, “and people don’t understand the risk that they’re taking for it.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
“I’m not going to Baltimore with you, Aunt Kitty. Remember? You’ve already sold my soul to Mrs. Wigginbottom.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
In other words, as Alex Kirshner explained for Slate, Saylor was selling $4 worth of exposure to Bitcoin for $5.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
So perhaps the problem isn't simply a shortage of homes, but rather - are we building and selling the wrong homes?
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
He is not selling his stake in the Lakers, his attorney told The Times last month, in part because “we believe they are still undervalued.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Or at least he’s worried about disorderly selling of Tokyo’s holdings of Treasury debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“No, I can’t, shinah. Shiwos neezgai. My shoulder has arthritis. My weaving days are done. No more talking of selling and weaving, please,” Nali said.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
