wholesaler
Americannoun
-
wholesalers
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Explanation
A wholesaler is a person or business that sells items to retail stores, which then sell them to individual customers for a higher price. You could also call a wholesaler a distributor. Anyone who sells goods to other businesses, rather than directly to customers, is a wholesaler. The bookshop in your town and the big-box store in a strip mall are both retailers; they buy goods from wholesalers, who sell them large quantities of books or patio furniture, etc., to be resold to individual shoppers.
Vocabulary lists containing wholesaler
"Curtis Aikens and the American Dream" and "Go For It!"
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 10
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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:
Citadel Securities, the largest retail wholesaler, said that SpaceX had the highest retail order activity it had ever seen for an IPO auction.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
Motor vehicle and parts wholesaler sales climbed 6.1% as supply-chain challenges eased.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Alderney Electricity is the main wholesaler for the island's fuel, which is shipped from the UK via Guernsey.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
The San Diego County Water Authority serves as a wholesaler, delivering water to 22 cities and other agencies that serve 3.3 million people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
“I got new seats on order from the wholesaler in Sarasota, but they won’t be here till Wednesday.”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
To restore Nike’s premium image, Sparks is ending online-sales partnerships with major Chinese wholesalers that flooded the market with discounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Two wholesalers interviewed by AFP on condition of anonymity said they are still sourcing from Iran, notably via Omani ports.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Another resident in her 40s said she now shops for food in warehouses used by wholesalers and has had to cut spending for her child’s school supplies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The government has capped stocks held by traders and wholesalers at 400 tonnes for three months to curb hoarding.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Father always arrived a couple of hours before the time signal in order to visit the wholesalers who supplied him with watches and parts.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
