sell-off

1 of 2

noun

: a usually sudden sharp decline in security prices accompanied by increased volume of trading

sell off

2 of 2

verb

sold off; selling off; sells off

intransitive verb

: to suffer a drop in prices

Examples of sell-off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
There was a fairly broad sell-off in both markets, less so because of Trump’s AI infrastructure effort called Stargate, which was cited for the outperformance of technology hardware and semiconductor stocks. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 Both of those valuation peaks preceded steep sell-offs for stocks. Jesse Pound, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
The communities in those areas got involved to make sure the land wasn’t sold off to developers at the highest bid. Pat Maio, Orange County Register, 15 Jan. 2025 After Friday’s blockbuster jobs report, the bond market sold off again. Matt Egan, CNN, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for sell-off 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1976, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sell-off was in 1976

Dictionary Entries Near sell-off

Cite this Entry

“Sell-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell-off. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

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