✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

sell-off

1 of 2

noun

: a usually sudden sharp decline in security prices accompanied by increased volume of trading

sell off

2 of 2

verb

sold off; selling off; sells off

intransitive verb

: to suffer a drop in prices

Examples of sell-off 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.
Noun
The overall market staged a comeback on Friday after the prior session saw a big sell-off. Michelle Fox, CNBC, 22 Nov. 2025 The sell-offs reflect broader market uncertainty, with many coins experiencing heavy losses and overall market capitalization shrinking sharply. Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Verb
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel sold off his entire stake in Nvidia worth around $100 million earlier this month. Bobby Allyn, NPR, 23 Nov. 2025 In recent days, investors have sold off Japanese government bonds, pushing yields higher, while the yen has fallen to nearly its lowest level this year. Arkansas Online, 22 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sell-off

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1976, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sell-off was in 1976

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sell-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell-off. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on sell-off

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!