wholesale

noun

whole·sale | \ ˈhōl-ˌsāl

Definition of wholesale

(Entry 1 of 4)

: the sale of commodities in quantity usually for resale (as by a retail merchant)

wholesale

adjective

Definition of wholesale (Entry 2 of 4)

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

adverb

Definition of wholesale (Entry 3 of 4)

: in a wholesale manner

wholesale

verb

wholesaled; wholesaling

Definition of wholesale (Entry 4 of 4)

transitive verb

: to sell (something) in quantity usually for resale

intransitive verb

: to sell in quantity usually for resale

Other Words from wholesale More Example Sentences Learn More about wholesale

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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

Robusta has sold wholesale for an average of 87 cents a pound this year, compared with $1.39 for Colombian arabica. — Julie Wernau, WSJ, "Why Does Your Coffee Taste Like Tires? A Battle Brews Between Beans," 16 Dec. 2018 That probably comes down to the game's original low-poly models, weird shadows, and super-blurry textures returning wholesale. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Shenmue I & II impressions: A gaming history lesson, but it feels like school," 20 Aug. 2018 While legal threats can have a chilling effect on individual ROM sites, stopping the illicit distribution of classic gaming ROMs wholesale is likely an unwinnable game of Internet Whac-A-Mole. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Lawsuit threat shuts down ROM downloads on major emulation site," 9 Aug. 2018 Founded in 2002, True Religion also sells its apparel wholesale through department stores such as Nordstrom. — Lillian Rizzo, WSJ, "True Religion Interim CEO Sees Future in More Stores, Global Expansion," 6 Nov. 2018 Chateau Reina is a startling sight, as if a medieval Tuscan castle had been moved, wholesale, to the Chinese countryside. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why China Should Be Your Next Wine Destination," 11 Sep. 2018 Even as the administration haltingly pursued treason charges against Lee and the others, the president was proclaiming amnesty wholesale for all but the topmost Confederates. — Fergus M. Bordewich, WSJ, "‘The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee’ Review: The Cost of Conciliation," 12 July 2018 Prices for Parmigiano are cyclical; wheels aged for 12 months currently cost almost €4.40 a pound wholesale in Italy, up from €3.40 in 2015 but lower than the high of the past decade, €4.90 a pound in 2011. — Eric Sylvers, WSJ, "Someone Is Stealing Italy’s Most Precious Cheese," 22 June 2018 Municipalities should be able to build wholesale fibre networks to give their communities more high-speed broadband options; the Trump administration should urge the industry to build a national wholesale 5G wireless network. — The Economist, "AT&T and Time Warner are cleared to merge," 14 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The Lee brand was introduced in 1912 by Henry David Lee, a wholesale grocery distributor who was unhappy with the inconsistent delivery of workwear from suppliers. — Suzanne Kapner, WSJ, "Wrangler Owner Looks to Exit Jeans Business," 10 Aug. 2018 June 14 -- Kentucky's attorney general on Thursday sued Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, accusing the company of playing a dual role in propagating an opioid epidemic in the state as both a pharmacy chain and wholesale drug distributor. — NBC News, "Kentucky sues Walgreens, says it has role in opioid epidemic," 14 June 2018 The Healthcare Distribution Alliance, the national trade association representing wholesale distributors, including the three named in the suit, said distributors are not to blame for the addiction epidemic. — Angel Jennings, latimes.com, "L.A. sues 9 drug companies, alleging unethical practices that worsened the opioid crisis," 3 May 2018 Her father ran Towers Motor Parts, a wholesale distributor. — Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, "Joan Braverman Pinck, college leader, equal rights advocate," 29 Mar. 2018 Cindy Stevens said she and her husband, Doug Stevens, own Equalizer Inc., a wholesale distributor of commodities for the agricultural and energy sectors. — Zeke Maccormack, San Antonio Express-News, "Waco entrepreneurs buy historic Flying L ranch at auction," 6 Feb. 2018 Separately, analysts noted that as imports rose and exports fell, the U.S. trade deficit in goods expanded 5.5% in June, with inventories at both the retail and wholesale level remaining relatively stagnant. — Gregg Re, Fox News, "GDP report shows booming 4.1 percent growth, as Trump touts 'terrific' numbers," 27 July 2018 Amazon goes to the lowest price, eliminates multiple retail and wholesale markups and bears a much lower profit margin to take share away from its rivals. — David Whelan, chicagotribune.com, "What Amazon & Co. should fix first in our health care system," 27 Mar. 2018 The popular vacation destination saw a near 15 percent increase in tourist arrivals in 2017 while retail and wholesale trade and construction are also driving economic output, according to the Cyprus Statistical Service. — Paul Tugwell, Bloomberg.com, "Cyprus Presidency Goes Into Runoff Round as Economy Dominates," 28 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Consistently negative offer prices to wholesale power markets from renewable energy create soft market prices that continue to drive out more resilient coal and nuclear generation. — WSJ, "The Renewables Policy Has Made the Grid Less Secure," 19 June 2018 While the vast majority of Ripley farm's revenue comes from wholesaling traditional milk, selling Guernsey A2 milk and cheese is a way to make extra income. — Michael Hill, USA TODAY, "Got indigestion? These cows could solve your milk problem," 1 June 2018 Selling these labels no doubt help beef up Stitch Fix’s profit margins because the brand is selling their own items instead of wholesaling pieces from other labels. — Cam Wolf, GQ, "Stitch Fix Thinks It Can Hack Your Style," 29 May 2018 This week, Vermont passed a first-in-the-nation law that would facilitate the state’s importation of prescription drugs wholesale from Canada. — Shefali Luthra, Washington Post, "Vermont Legislators Pass A Drug Importation Law. So What?," 22 May 2018 Compare that with a kilo of heroin, which wholesales for about $50,000 in Gulfport and generates a profit of just $200,000. — Fortune, "Deadly Chinese Fentanyl Is Creating a New Era of Drug Kingpins," 6 June 2018 Law enforcement, environmental NGOs, and aquarium trade importers, wholesales, and retailers have all talked of an effective, non-invasive, and easy-to-implement cyanide test as a sort of Holy Grail. — National Geographic, "‘Holy Grail' Test for Illegal Cyanide-Caught Aquarium Fish May Be Fatally Flawed," 5 June 2018 Trump has rolled back Obama-era initiatives wholesale since taking office. — Tom Simonite, WIRED, "Obama's US Digital Service Survives Trump—Quietly," 31 May 2018 This week, Vermont passed a first-in-the-nation law that would facilitate the state’s importation of prescription drugs wholesale from Canada. — Shefali Luthra, Washington Post, "Vermont Legislators Pass A Drug Importation Law. So What?," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wholesale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.