sell

1 of 4

verb

sold ˈsōld How to pronounce sell (audio) ; 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 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)

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

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
The leaders of not-for-profits that have sold facilities to for-profit operators cite a variety of reasons for exiting or downsizing. Harris Meyer, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Boyd, in a lawsuit filed in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, sued his former friend and the company accused of illegally selling him ghost gun kits. Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 The photographer was commissioned to illustrate Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Harper’s Bazaar, but the novel was deemed too risky and was subsequently sold to Esquire. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 Russia has become one of China’s fastest-growing export markets, particularly for cars, as industrial democracies’ exporters have stopped selling to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Climate change is driving many amphibians toward extinction The majority of frog legs sold to the E.U., with France the biggest consumer, are collected from the wild, according to a report published last year by the CITES secretariat. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The Depression deferred that dream, and when Wellcome died the models were sold to Crosby Gaige, a Broadway producer. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024 Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Feb. 26 even if the property may have been sold earlier. Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
Choose your tenants wisely Moving your mom or children into an ADU is an easy sell. Keith Wagstaff, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, Tencent, HSBC, and Hong Kong Exchanges were small net sells. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 That helped make her next venture, focused on cancer drugs that can counteract tumors’ evolution, an easy sell to investors. Damian Garde Reprints, STAT, 29 Feb. 2024 Most recent sell orders for Chime on Hiive range from $18.50 to $26, with associated block sizes in the range of 5,000 to 30,000 shares. Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 26 Jan. 2024 Meanwhile, LONGi Green Energy, broker East Money, and O-Film were moderate net sells. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 For most, a long-shank Aberdeen-style panfish hook with a depth-appropriate split shot weight, and an adjustable bobber does the job. Manmade Bait For impromptu bluegill missions, bread balls made from any soft, moldable baked item are an easy sell. David A. Brown, Field & Stream, 28 Feb. 2024 However, not everyone was on board, and former National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern proved an especially tough sell. Dana Jacobson, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2024 That’s a tough sell to current-day Israelis, most of whom would prefer the status quo over any further concessions to Palestinians. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of sell was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sell

Cite this Entry

“Sell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on sell

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!