sell out
Britishverb
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Also (chiefly Brit): sell up. to dispose of (supplies of something) completely by selling
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informal (tr) to betray, esp through a secret agreement
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informal (intr) to abandon one's principles, standards, etc
noun
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informal a performance for which all tickets are sold
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a commercial success
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informal a betrayal
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informal a person who betrays their principles, standards, friends, etc
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Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company , or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago . [Late 1700s]
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Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side . [ Slang ; late 1800s]
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.
“Premium tiers sell out and premium prices rise because high-quality engagement demand is concentrating in a scarce set of premium acts,” the analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
At last week's World Cup warm-up against Peru in Miami, where there is a Little Haiti neighbourhood, South Florida's Haitian diaspora helped sell out the Nu Stadium.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Bands like Health can sell out the Palladium, electronic body music thrives on dance floors and Nine Inch Noize was a favorite at Coachella.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Goad’s influencer campaign to promote squishy toys helped Claire’s sell out of a brand called NeeDoh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
“Did you already sell out everything at your market stall?”
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
