: 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
Tony Zhang, CNBC, 13 May 2026
The club decided to keep Hall, a 2022 second-rounder, amid the trade deadline sell-off.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 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
Summary The velocity of Tuesday’s intraday sell-off in semis was a reminder that this market is still highly crowded and more fragile than the closing tape suggested.
—Tony Zhang, CNBC, 13 May 2026
The club decided to keep Hall, a 2022 second-rounder, amid the trade deadline sell-off.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 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 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
