upsell

1 of 2

verb

up·​sell ˈəp-ˈsel 

variants or up-sell

upsold ˈəp-ˈsōld  or up-sold; upselling or up-selling; upsells or up-sells

transitive verb

: to try to convince (a customer) to purchase something additional or at a higher cost

With a strong correlation between the amount of video consumed and the Internet speed that consumers think they need, providers could possibly upsell customers on costlier broadband packages.

—Makeda Easter

They start upselling you before you book your vacation by offering upgrades to a higher-class cabin …

—Christopher Elliott

upselling noun

or up-selling

Counter clerks, paid on commission, are typically instructed to pitch more expensive cars, a tank of gas, a damage waiver … It's called "up-selling" in the trade, and can account for as much as 20% of the revenue of some car-rental companies …

—Joni James

upsell

2 of 2

noun

plural upsells

: an attempt to convince a customer to purchase something additional or more costly : the act or an instance of upselling

We passed on the products they had used during the massage, which were for sale. Almost every activity, it would turn out, ended with a gentle upsell.

—Dan Saltzstein

I tend to avoid server upsells because I usually suspect they're trying to push a high margin or past-its-prime menu item.

—Michael Nagrant

Examples of upsell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Microsoft has also tried to upsell its OneDrive cloud storage with constant nags in Windows 11. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Jan. 2026

Travel companies are increasingly using inconveniences to upsell customers into paying more for basic comforts. —Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025

Noun

Luxury-tier resorts may bundle more amenities upfront, while budget-friendly properties often rely on upsells to enhance the experience. —Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026

Memory’s share of a typical PC’s component cost has roughly doubled since 2024, turning every extra 8 or 16 GB configuration bump into a serious pricing decision rather than an easy upsell. —Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1972, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upsell

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel