: 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
Amy Francombe, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026
The bulk of the harvest is sold wholesale to the Robin’s Nest restaurant in Mount Holly and the Vincentown Diner in Southampton Township, Green said.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Although Levi’s has increasingly prioritized its direct-to-consumer strategy in recent years, its partnership with Target remains one of the brand’s most successful wholesale relationships.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Elena Banfi, Vanity Fair, 19 Jan. 2026
This could include uses such as a contractor storage yard, data and information processing, manufacturing and processing, a medical or dental laboratory, multimedia production, research and development, warehouses, wholesaling or a recycling center.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wholesale
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Noun
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales account for 75% of revenue, while the remaining 25% is generated through wholesale.
—Amy Francombe, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026
The bulk of the harvest is sold wholesale to the Robin’s Nest restaurant in Mount Holly and the Vincentown Diner in Southampton Township, Green said.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The Great Lakes Water Authority, which manages water and sanitary sewer service for dozens of Southeast Michigan communities, has announced wholesale utility rate hikes starting in July.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Although Levi’s has increasingly prioritized its direct-to-consumer strategy in recent years, its partnership with Target remains one of the brand’s most successful wholesale relationships.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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
Verb
His father, Mauro Garavani, married Valentino's mother, Teresa, and opened a barbershop before turning to a career in wholesaling electrical equipment, which guaranteed the family a certain affluence.
—Elena Banfi, Vanity Fair, 19 Jan. 2026
This could include uses such as a contractor storage yard, data and information processing, manufacturing and processing, a medical or dental laboratory, multimedia production, research and development, warehouses, wholesaling or a recycling center.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wholesale
Cite this Entry
“Wholesale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholesale. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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