: the sale of commodities in quantity usually for resale (as by a retail merchant)
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
: in a wholesale manner
wholesaled; wholesaling
: to sell (something) in quantity usually for resale
: 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
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
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
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
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
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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
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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.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
wholesale
1 of 3 noun
whole·sale
ˈhōl-ˌsāl 
: the sale of goods in large quantity usually for resale (as by a store owner)
wholesale
2 of 3 adjective1
: 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
More from Merriam-Webster on wholesale
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wholesale
Nglish: Translation of wholesale for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of wholesale for Arabic Speakers
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