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
Investors started with a steep Monday sell-off after Trump’s attacks on Powell. Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025 Shares have advanced more than 17% this week as the broader market tries to recover from a steep sell-off for much of April. Brian Evans, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
The first Trump administration continued to weaken safeguards for 35 million acres of federal lands — more than any other administration in history — and offered up millions more for oil and gas development, but stopped short of trying sell off or transfer large areas of the public domain. Chris D'angelo, Vox, 2 May 2025 Many soccer clubs talk about the importance of their academies, only to sell off their newest asset at the earliest opportunity. Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 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 7 May. 2025.

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