wholesale

1 of 4

noun

whole·​sale ˈhōl-ˌsāl 

: 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

Another growing division at the bank is C&I, serving clients in industries ranging from manufacturing to wholesale and retail to transportation and logistics across South Florida. — Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Many of the varieties florists use are imported, and buying wholesale doesn’t necessarily mean getting flowers for a fraction of their retail price. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026

Adjective

The cumulative effect of the bowl’s ambient violence (robbery, assault, and overdose abound) amounts to an open-air despair not unlike Fox News-style depictions of California as a wholesale war zone. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Once an industrial area with wholesale garment factories, Wynwood has become a hub for arts and tech. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Adverb

The remainder is wholesale-driven and includes accounts in Asia and the Middle East. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 16 June 2026

Last year, the decades-old chemotherapy drug fludarabine could be purchased wholesale for $110. — Tony Paquin and David Sanders, STAT, 14 Dec. 2022

Verb

The response is not to wholesale import consumer-software practices, since consequences in the automotive industry can be hazardous. — Rajjie Sarmey, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The company has grown its direct-to-consumer business, operates 10 freestanding locations and wholesales its collection at Net-a-porter, Shopbop as well as specialty stores. — Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for wholesale

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

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 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