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

Power Train and Hardware The most significant mechanical bits are taken wholesale from the current generation 911 GT3. — Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2026

That is where the strategic value of wholesale becomes clearest. — Advertorial, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Carvana is integrating the retail inspection and reconditioning capabilities into its existing ADESA Charlotte wholesale auction facility, which features nearly 4,000 parking spaces. — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026

Another is larger carriers who lock in fuel at wholesale while billing surcharges at retail can see a real margin gain. — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 17 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 company doesn’t wholesale its collection. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 8 May 2026

Light industrial uses could include storage yards, data and information processing, medical or dental laboratories, research and development, warehouses, wholesaling or a recycling center. — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 10 Apr. 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