sell

1 of 4

verb

ˈsel 

sold ˈsōld  ; selling

transitive verb

1

: to deliver or give up in violation of duty, trust, or loyalty and especially for personal gain : betray

—often used with out

sell out their country

2

a(1)

: to give up (property) to another for something of value (such as money)

(2)

: to offer for sale

b

: to give up in return for something else especially foolishly or dishonorably

sold his birthright for a mess of pottage

c

: to exact a price for

sold their lives dearly

3

a

: to deliver into slavery for money

b

: to give into the power of another

sold his soul to the devil

c

: to deliver the personal services of for money

4

: to dispose of or manage for profit instead of in accordance with conscience, justice, or duty

sold their votes

5

a

: to develop a belief in the truth, value, or desirability of : gain acceptance for

trying to sell a program to the Congress

b

: to persuade or influence to a course of action or to the acceptance of something

sell children on reading

6

: to impose on : cheat

7

a

: to cause or promote the sale of

using television advertising to sell cereal

b

: to make or attempt to make sales to

c

: to influence or induce to make a purchase

8

: to achieve a sale of

sold a million copies

intransitive verb

1

: to dispose of something by sale

thinks now is a good time to sell

2

: to achieve a sale

also : to achieve satisfactory sales

hoped that the new line would sell

3

: to have a specified price

sellable

ˈse-lə-bəl 

adjective

sell

2 of 4

noun (1)

1

: a deliberate deception : hoax

2

: the act or an instance of selling

3

: something to be sold or caused to be accepted

the new mystery novel was an easy sell

also : someone to whom something is sold

the new purchasing agent was a tough sell

sell

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈsel 

variants or selle

archaic

: saddle

sell

4 of 4

chiefly Scottish variant of self

Phrases

sell down the river

: to betray the faith of

sell short

1

: to make a short sale

2

: to fail to value properly : underestimate

Synonyms

Verb

• deal (in)
• market
• merchandise
• merchandize
• put up
• retail
• vend

Examples of sell in a Sentence

Verb

He buys and remodels houses and then sells them at a profit.

Stock prices are increasing, so now is a good time to sell.

Only a few stores sell that type of equipment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Digital products: These are one-time creations like digital courses, ebooks, digital templates, and guides that can be sold repeatedly with little ongoing effort. —Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

Soon after that report, OpenAI reversed its policies toward secondary share sales, allowing current and former employees to sell in the tender offers. —Hayden Field, CNBC, 23 May 2025

Noun

Gemini Ultra subscribers will get a 50 percent discount for the first three months, but $125 is still a tough sell for AI. —Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 20 May 2025

Stewart recognized early on that the project would be a difficult sell in today’s market. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 17 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English sellan; akin to Old High German sellen to sell, Greek helein to take

Noun (2)

Middle English selle, from Anglo-French sele, from Latin sella — more at settle

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sell

• cross-sell
• hard sell
• sell a bill of goods
• sell a pup
• sell-by date
• sell off
• sell one's body
• sell one's soul (to the devil)
• sell out
• sell (someone) on
• sell up
• soft sell
• up-sell

Rhymes for sell

• bel
• belle
• cel
• cell
• dell
• dwell
• el
• ell
• fel
• fell
• gel
• gell

Kids Definition

sell

verb

ˈsel

sold

ˈsōld

; selling

1

: to betray a person or duty

—often used with out

2

: to exchange in return for money or something else of value

sell groceries

3

a

: to develop a belief in the truth, value, or desirability of

trying to sell a program to Congress

b

: to bring around to a favorable way of thinking

tried to sell the children on reading

4

: to achieve a sale

also : to achieve satisfactory sales

hoped that the new car would sell

5

: to be sold or priced

these sell for a dollar apiece

seller noun

Legal Definition

sell

verb

sold; selling

transitive verb

1

: to transfer ownership of by sale compare barter, convey, give

2

: to offer for sale

intransitive verb

: to dispose of something by sale : make a sale compare donate

seller noun