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
The Wall Street researcher said the recent sell-off is overdone, creating an attractive buying opportunity. Alex Harring, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025 The event that sparked discussion of U.S. intervention was a sharp sell-off of the Argentine currency, the peso, as well as the country’s stocks and bonds. Arturo Porzecanski, The Conversation, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
But South Asians are not interested in selling off their gold just yet. Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025 The Bank of Japan has commenced with tapering, incrementally selling off its huge investments in ETFs that primed the stock market under Abe, and is signaling incremental interest rate increases. Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sell-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell-off. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

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