sell-off

1 of 2

noun

ˈsel-ˌȯf 

: 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

Noun

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images China's benchmark CSI 300 index on Thursday entered bear-market territory, falling 20% from its June peak, as a prolonged sell-off in its equities deepens. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Even in the midst of a global government bond sell-off, US bond rates remain lower than those of other Western economies. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Verb

Some Democrats fear Trump could sell off his equity stakes following the next presidential election. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026

The mood in the markets turned sharply negative today as traders sold off stock around the world. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1976, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sell-off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff