: the sale of commodities in quantity usually for resale (as by a retail merchant)
1
: performed or existing on a large scale especially without discrimination
wholesale slaughter
2
: of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of commodities in quantity for resale
a wholesale grocer
: in a wholesale manner
wholesaled; wholesaling
: to sell (something) in quantity usually for resale
: to sell in quantity usually for resale
Examples of wholesale in a Sentence
Adjective
The crops originated from wholesale growers.
Is that price retail or wholesale?
Verb
The company wholesales clothing to boutiques in the area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
The big picture: Retail prices, which typically trail wholesale, are beginning to drift downward as well.
—Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
Li Jun, Footwear News, 6 Apr. 2025
One thing is clear: The layoffs and wholesale reorganization of the department are the latest in a series of Trump administration actions ripe for legal challenges.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012
ByteStyle, the company’s code of values, preaches a culture that could have been lifted wholesale from Google or Amazon: diverse, inclusive, radically honest and transparent.
—Alex W. Palmer, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2025
Keemo Fashion Group Ltd continues to operate in the apparel and garment trading business, focusing on wholesaling to distributors mainly based in China.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholesale
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
During an investors call on Monday, executives at the automaker said the company was also building up inventory at wholesale and dealer lots to get ahead of the tariffs, Reuters reports.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
The big picture: Retail prices, which typically trail wholesale, are beginning to drift downward as well.
—Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
However, this measure led to a decline in wholesale sales, impacting overall revenue.
—Li Jun, Footwear News, 6 Apr. 2025
One thing is clear: The layoffs and wholesale reorganization of the department are the latest in a series of Trump administration actions ripe for legal challenges.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Adverb
It got picked up wholesale from blog to blog and Tumblr to Tumblr so rapidly that the pedigree of it got lost.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012
ByteStyle, the company’s code of values, preaches a culture that could have been lifted wholesale from Google or Amazon: diverse, inclusive, radically honest and transparent.
—Alex W. Palmer, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022
Verb
There is also a partner store in Dubai and the brand is wholesaled in 56 countries globally.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2025
Keemo Fashion Group Ltd continues to operate in the apparel and garment trading business, focusing on wholesaling to distributors mainly based in China.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholesale
Cite this Entry
“Wholesale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholesale. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wholesale
1 of 3 noun
whole·sale
ˈhōl-ˌsāl 
: the sale of goods in large quantity usually for resale (as by a store owner)
wholesale
2 of 3 adjective1
: of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of goods in quantity for resale
a wholesale grocer
wholesale prices
2
: done on a large scale : general
wholesale changes in the team's roster
wholesale
adverb
wholesale
3 of 3 verb
wholesaled; wholesaling
: to sell usually in large amounts for resale
wholesaler
noun
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