: a usually sudden sharp decline in security prices accompanied by increased volume of trading
sold off; selling off; sells off
: to suffer a drop in prices
Examples of sell-off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 6 May 2026
The phrase refers to the sell-off in technology stocks following the release of software built on top of artificial intelligence models from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Maliya Ellis, Houston Chronicle, 9 May 2026
Most of the works were sold off by the French state during the 1950s, according to the Musée d’Orsay’s website, but 2,200 were held back for safekeeping by the country’s national museums.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sell-off
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.
Noun
That’s part of a wider, gaming sector sell-off, but a much larger fall than for rival DraftKings in the same period.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 6 May 2026
The phrase refers to the sell-off in technology stocks following the release of software built on top of artificial intelligence models from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Verb
The units are being sold off the MLS.
—Maliya Ellis, Houston Chronicle, 9 May 2026
Most of the works were sold off by the French state during the 1950s, according to the Musée d’Orsay’s website, but 2,200 were held back for safekeeping by the country’s national museums.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sell-off
Cite this Entry
“Sell-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell-off. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
