wholesale

1 of 4

noun

whole·​sale ˈhōl-ˌsāl How to pronounce wholesale (audio)
: the sale of commodities in quantity usually for resale (as by a retail merchant)

wholesale

2 of 4

adjective

1
: performed or existing on a large scale especially without discrimination
wholesale slaughter
2
: of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of commodities in quantity for resale
a wholesale grocer

wholesale

3 of 4

adverb

: in a wholesale manner

wholesale

4 of 4

verb

wholesaled; wholesaling

transitive verb

: to sell (something) in quantity usually for resale

intransitive verb

: to sell in quantity usually for resale

Examples of wholesale in a Sentence

Adjective The crops originated from wholesale growers. Is that price retail or wholesale? Verb The company wholesales clothing to boutiques in the area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The business is now in expansion mode, with a new focus on ready-to-wear, an eye on wholesale, a window display at Bergdorf Goodman, and a collaboration with a gin brand on the horizon. Jake Smith, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023 Since Biden took office and projects around the country have begun to move forward, right-wing groups—many funded by fossil fuel interests—have mobilized grassroots opposition (or created it wholesale) along the Atlantic coast, professing concern for offshore wind’s impact on wildlife. Molly Taft, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2023 That zoning is typically limited to wholesale, warehouse and specialized manufacturing that don’t create a nuisance, according to Gunter’s zoning ordinance. Irving Mejia-Hilario, Dallas News, 27 July 2023 California ratepayers experienced a dramatic increase in the commodity, or wholesale, price of natural gas in January. San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2023 Wagner dropped Sudan’s army wholesale when fighting broke out, backing Hemedti and his fighters in the conflict. Victoria Butenko, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023 The couple make chocolate sold wholesale, online, and at a store in Wayland that will open in September. Shirley Leung, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023 Some buyers said boxes have climbed up to $60 a box wholesale. Ellie Stevens, CNN, 15 July 2023 The commodity, or wholesale, price of natural gas soared in late December and January in California and in markets across the West. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2023
Adjective
In practice, this means a wholesale rethinking of how the concert hall functions as a venue for classical music. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2023 Second, Rowan has orchestrated a wholesale merger with giant insurer Athene, whose immense balance sheet can provide big ticket financings, often totaling several billion dollars, at warp speed (more on that later). Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023 In March, there was a wholesale mobilization in the state when Amritpal Singh, a separatist preacher, was on the run. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023 On the positive side, spot prices in the gasoline wholesale market in Los Angeles have decreased by about 60 cents in the past few days, leading analysts to think the wave has crested and prices will drop. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2023 While some banks have suffered runs on deposits recently, deposits and other funding backstops that go with accepting them—such as the FHLB and the Fed Window—provide for lower costs and more predictable financing than wholesale capital markets. Mike Cagney, Fortune Crypto, 15 Sep. 2023 As the global cannabis industry continues to flourish, the international development of cannabis, the intricate global supply chain, the wholesale market and the constant technological advancements are pivotal factors shaping its growth. Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2023 According to the International Olive Oil Council, the average wholesale price of one kilogram of extra virgin olive oil in Spain, Italy and Greece—which together provide more than 60 percent of the world’s supply—was between €7.35 ($7.95) and €9.00 ($9.71). Alessio Perrone, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2023 If the system had to be shut down for longer, Edwards said, Portland would ask its wholesale customers to rely on their other drinking water sources and the public to restrict water use. Gwozniac, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023
Adverb
It got picked up wholesale from blog to blog and Tumblr to Tumblr so rapidly that the pedigree of it got lost. Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012 ByteStyle, the company’s code of values, preaches a culture that could have been lifted wholesale from Google or Amazon: diverse, inclusive, radically honest and transparent. Alex W. Palmer, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022 Last year, the decades-old chemotherapy drug fludarabine could be purchased wholesale for $110. Tony Paquin and David Sanders, STAT, 14 Dec. 2022 Many of these scenes are lifted wholesale from her own life. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2022 Dealers would buy cars wholesale at set prices from automakers. Chris Isidore, CNN, 19 Feb. 2022 Neither Asket or Birdsong sell wholesale to avoid the pressure from retailers to produce new collections, and their pool of potential investors was narrowed down to those who share their purpose. Olivia Pinnock, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2021 But there's one other matter to wrap up before moving wholesale into 2022: my prediction for the biggest gaming product to not last past the end of this new year. Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 6 Jan. 2022 But Trump’s wild-eyed notions about presidential power, while extreme, did not spring wholesale from his imagination. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2021
Verb
Philadelphia’s licensing of residential real estate wholesalers has provided transparency into who is wholesaling, Dugan said. Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 2 Aug. 2023 Fentanyl is so cheap to make that the cartel reaps massive profits even wholesaling the drug at 50 cents per pill, prosecutors said. Christopher Sherman and Mark Stevenson, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2023 That's one of the reasons Carnes has continued to wholesale her baked goods to local stores, such as Giant Leap in the Galleria area and Retrospect Coffee Bar, one of the few partners entrusted with selling her kolaches. Jennifer Stewart, Chron, 20 Apr. 2023 Ledoux is shelving a plan to wholesale its bouquets to stores like Target next year, which would have meant the addition of 30 employees. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2022 The two approached companies including Diptyque and Santa Maria Novella, which declined to wholesale their products. New York Times, 9 Mar. 2022 He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and served in the infantry at Fort Leavenworth (Kansas) before returning to Greensburg with an honorable discharge in 1955, joining the family retail and wholesaling businesses. Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star, 6 May 2020 But on Wednesday, the ship nevertheless began disgorging passengers wholesale. New York Times, 10 Mar. 2020 Fiat Chrysler and its peers are expected to lose tens of billions of dollars by idling their plants for weeks because they book revenue by wholesaling vehicles to their dealers. Gabrielle Coppola, Bloomberg.com, 28 Apr. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wholesale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adverb

1696, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1792, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of wholesale was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near wholesale

Cite this Entry

“Wholesale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholesale. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

wholesale

1 of 3 noun
whole·​sale ˈhōl-ˌsāl How to pronounce wholesale (audio)
: the sale of goods in large quantity usually for resale (as by a store owner)

wholesale

2 of 3 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of goods in quantity for resale
a wholesale grocer
wholesale prices
2
: done on a large scale : general
wholesale changes in the team's roster
wholesale adverb

wholesale

3 of 3 verb
wholesaled; wholesaling
: to sell usually in large amounts for resale
wholesaler noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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