: 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
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025
Mayor Ron Morrison defended the council’s approach of tailoring the ordinance to National City rather than adopting a model ordinance wholesale.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025
Apart from pass-on costs from wholesale electricity or natural gas costs, utility prices are largely determined by rates approved at state levels.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025
Alex W. Palmer, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022
Last year, the decades-old chemotherapy drug fludarabine could be purchased wholesale for $110.
—Tony Paquin and David Sanders, STAT, 14 Dec. 2022
Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
Prices on apparel wholesaling climbed 5%, while the apparel, jewelry, footwear and accessories retailing category spiked 8%.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholesale
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Noun
While its own stores are an important part of the business, Hoffmann stressed that wholesale continues to be a key cog in its wheel.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025
Mayor Ron Morrison defended the council’s approach of tailoring the ordinance to National City rather than adopting a model ordinance wholesale.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
On Friday night in Yolo County on Bob Hamilton Court, UC Davis and Sacramento State squared off for the 123rd time with regional bragging rights part of the experience of teams trying to build momentum with wholesale roster changes since last season.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025
Apart from pass-on costs from wholesale electricity or natural gas costs, utility prices are largely determined by rates approved at state levels.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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
Last year, the decades-old chemotherapy drug fludarabine could be purchased wholesale for $110.
—Tony Paquin and David Sanders, STAT, 14 Dec. 2022
Verb
While direct-to-consumer is the majority of the business, Zadig & Voltaire wholesales its collection at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom, in addition to operating concessions at Bloomingdale’s.
—Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
Prices on apparel wholesaling climbed 5%, while the apparel, jewelry, footwear and accessories retailing category spiked 8%.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 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 15 Nov. 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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