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

Up close and personal Since Covid, Veronica Beard’s business has shifted from majority wholesale to a fairly even three-way split between wholesale, physical retail and e-commerce. — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026

When the old-school models faltered, some economists wanted to reject Keynes wholesale. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Adjective

According to Chen, the business is more direct-to-consumer than wholesale. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Inflation is still running hot, with this morning's wholesale producer price index coming in way above expectations. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 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

Colorado took a more lenient course, allowing brewing companies to wholesale their own products directly to licensed retailers. — Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026

Lam said the label will stay contemporary and will be wholesaled at department and specialty stores. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 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