sell

1 of 4

verb

ˈsel 

sold ˈsōld  ; selling

transitive verb

1

: to deliver or give up in violation of duty, trust, or loyalty and especially for personal gain : betray

—often used with out

sell out their country

2

a(1)

: to give up (property) to another for something of value (such as money)

(2)

: to offer for sale

b

: to give up in return for something else especially foolishly or dishonorably

sold his birthright for a mess of pottage

c

: to exact a price for

sold their lives dearly

3

a

: to deliver into slavery for money

b

: to give into the power of another

sold his soul to the devil

c

: to deliver the personal services of for money

4

: to dispose of or manage for profit instead of in accordance with conscience, justice, or duty

sold their votes

5

a

: to develop a belief in the truth, value, or desirability of : gain acceptance for

trying to sell a program to the Congress

b

: to persuade or influence to a course of action or to the acceptance of something

sell children on reading

6

: to impose on : cheat

7

a

: to cause or promote the sale of

using television advertising to sell cereal

b

: to make or attempt to make sales to

c

: to influence or induce to make a purchase

8

: to achieve a sale of

sold a million copies

intransitive verb

1

: to dispose of something by sale

thinks now is a good time to sell

2

: to achieve a sale

also : to achieve satisfactory sales

hoped that the new line would sell

3

: to have a specified price

sellable

ˈse-lə-bəl 

adjective

sell

2 of 4

noun (1)

1

: a deliberate deception : hoax

2

: the act or an instance of selling

3

: something to be sold or caused to be accepted

the new mystery novel was an easy sell

also : someone to whom something is sold

the new purchasing agent was a tough sell

sell

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈsel 

variants or selle

archaic

: saddle

sell

4 of 4

chiefly Scottish variant of self

Phrases

sell down the river

: to betray the faith of

sell short

1

: to make a short sale

2

: to fail to value properly : underestimate

Synonyms

Verb

• deal (in)
• market
• merchandise
• merchandize
• put up
• retail
• vend

Examples of sell in a Sentence

Verb

He buys and remodels houses and then sells them at a profit.

Stock prices are increasing, so now is a good time to sell.

Only a few stores sell that type of equipment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Vendors have caught on and now sell flowers, balloons, and signs outside the cemeteries. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 12 May 2024

That has allowed public tax dollars to go to a wide range of private individuals, school-like programs and businesses that sell their services to charter families. —Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024

In 2008, Vanity Fair reported that newspapers selling copies with the family on the first page sold an extra 30,000 copies a day. —Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024

With capacity for 1,429 students, the building was sold to Sustainable Development Partners in 2016. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2024

Younger relatives began to sell their family homes to start anew elsewhere. —Alie Skowronski, Miami Herald, 11 May 2024

Another incentive to sell Paramount: The family’s debt-laden National Amusements has been strapped for cash. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024

The lucky ticket was sold at the Chevron Food Shop on Roswell Road. —Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2024

The challenge includes other ambitious targets, such as requiring all new vehicles sold in California to be hybrid or electric by 2035. —Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2024

Noun

But for audiences in many foreign territories, the Old West can be a tough sell. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024

At wineries, storytelling sells: chatting with staff, meeting the owners, learning about the history of the winery, Vasquez said. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2024

But the show is so rooted in a specific vision that the next five editions are an easy sell. —Alison Herman, Variety, 4 May 2024

In some ways, L.A. as a tourist destination is a difficult sell, said Jan Brueckner, an economics professor at UC Irvine. —Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

The results are based on the trading platform’s customer notional net percentage buy/sell behavior for stocks that comprise the S&P 500 sectors. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 May 2024

Pasolini’s emotional watch is a tough sell but do make the effort. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024

The human storylines — something Godzilla flicks sometimes fail to flesh out — would be an easier sell. —Lucas Trevor, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

There’s little movement on these bills though, as any gun legislation with restrictions is a tough sell to GOP lawmakers. —Hannah Pinski, The Courier-Journal, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English sellan; akin to Old High German sellen to sell, Greek helein to take

Noun (2)

Middle English selle, from Anglo-French sele, from Latin sella — more at settle

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sell

• cross-sell
• hard sell
• sell a bill of goods
• sell a pup
• sell-by date
• sell down the river
• sell off
• sell one's body
• sell one's soul (to the devil)
• sell out
• sell short
• sell (someone) on
• sell up
• soft sell
• up-sell

Kids Definition

sell

verb

ˈsel

sold

ˈsōld

; selling

1

: to betray a person or duty

—often used with out

2

: to exchange in return for money or something else of value

sell groceries

3

a

: to develop a belief in the truth, value, or desirability of

trying to sell a program to Congress

b

: to bring around to a favorable way of thinking

tried to sell the children on reading

4

: to achieve a sale

also : to achieve satisfactory sales

hoped that the new car would sell

5

: to be sold or priced

these sell for a dollar apiece

seller noun

Legal Definition

sell

verb

sold; selling

transitive verb

1

: to transfer ownership of by sale compare barter, convey, give

2

: to offer for sale

intransitive verb

: to dispose of something by sale : make a sale compare donate

seller noun