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

Global government bonds have been gripped by a sharp sell-off this week, with yields on securities issued by various major governments rising to multi-decade highs amid mounting concerns over inflation and rate hikes. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

That meant trade reporting on the tape often ran late, sometimes hours late during a volatile market or big sell-off. — Brian Lund, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

Shares nevertheless sold off on profit-taking, leaving Palo Alto as the portfolio's worst performer last week, losing more than 10%. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026

Kontoor has also sold off noncore and other underutilized assets, such as the Rock & Republic brand and Lee. — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 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