presale

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​sale ˌprē-ˈsāl How to pronounce presale (audio)
variants or pre-sale
1
: done, existing, or occurring before a sale
a presale party/tour/exhibition
presale expectations
a presale disclosure
Sotheby's pre-sale estimate was $12,000-15,000, but early bidding indicated that the final sales price would go far higher.R. O. Blechman
2
: of, relating to, being, or involving a presale
She paid $30 to join the … fan club, which gives members access to presale tickets.Marco R. della Cava
presale orders for the book
bought a presale condo

presale

2 of 2

noun

variants or pre-sale
plural presales or pre-sales
: the sale of something before it is completed or available
… the first run of books is nearly sold out in presale on Amazon.Brooke Edwards
As stated earlier, a presale is literally a sale of your film to a particular territory before the film is made.Stacey Parks
… said most developers would now need a large number of presales to get bank backing.Susan Edmunds
Tickets go on sale to the general public May 14. Select presales begin May 7.Andrew Gans
Sources have told The Wall Street Journal that Apple has "sold hundreds of thousands" of iPads since the device went on presale March 12.Erica Ogg

Examples of presale 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.
Adjective
Mastercard cardholders have special access to presale tickets in France and Netherlands. Jem Aswad, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025 Although Ticketmaster will be the official vendor for face-value sales, resale ticket sites like StubHub, Vivid Seats, and SeatGeek will be your next best bet once presale and general sale tickets sell out. Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
The initial presale dates for the residency sold out quickly. Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 17 Oct. 2025 Yet another community, Solace, will launch presales next month. Samantha Gowen, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for presale

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of presale was in 1917

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Presale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presale. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!