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

First, there’s the session fee, which wasn’t too crazy, but the studio tried to upsell us every step of the way. —Melissa Willets, Parents, 15 Sep. 2025

Once customers are seated, restaurants aim to upsell drinks, appetizers, or desserts, which boost margins far more than the headline offer. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025

Noun

That shift disintermediates ecommerce systems and removes the familiar checkout step, as well as any upsell or cross-sell opportunities. —Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Additionally, the analyst noted that the company again raised its full-year ARR guidance, which reflects improving upsell and net-new business opportunities. —Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2025

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