wholesale

1 of 4

noun

whole·​sale ˈhōl-ˌsāl 

: the sale of commodities in quantity usually for resale (as by a retail merchant)

wholesale

2 of 4

adjective

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

wholesale

3 of 4

adverb

: in a wholesale manner

wholesale

4 of 4

verb

wholesaled; wholesaling

transitive verb

: to sell (something) in quantity usually for resale

intransitive verb

: 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

Noun

What gets you now are statements, posts, likes, signatures: the imperatives of social media, which are swallowing culture wholesale. —Jason Farago, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Charles said racist laws of centuries past should be viewed skeptically by the courts, but not dismissed wholesale. —Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adverb

1696, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1792, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids 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 adjective

1

: 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