: 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
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Saying goodbye to wholesale, Lo’s spring 2026 collection adopts a bespoke model as the range puts a big focus on craftsmanship and exclusivity.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Retail pricing starts at $1,499, with wholesale options starting at $799 for team and institutional orders.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2025
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
Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2025
Prices on apparel wholesaling climbed 5%, while the apparel, jewelry, footwear and accessories retailing category spiked 8%.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholesale
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Noun
At the same time, Pino’s former development company, Century Homebuilders Group — now run by Tatiana — has agreed to forgive a promissory note for $691,470 that was owed by Carlos Pino, who heads the family’s original plumbing wholesale business founded by the brothers’ father.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Saying goodbye to wholesale, Lo’s spring 2026 collection adopts a bespoke model as the range puts a big focus on craftsmanship and exclusivity.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
That said, Miami is 1-6 on the year and appears at the precipice of wholesale changes to both the roster and coaching staff.
—Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Retail pricing starts at $1,499, with wholesale options starting at $799 for team and institutional orders.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2025
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
The company wholesales its collection at retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Fwrd, Net-a-porter, Revolve, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave, Browns and Shopbop.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2025
Prices on apparel wholesaling climbed 5%, while the apparel, jewelry, footwear and accessories retailing category spiked 8%.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholesale
Cite this Entry
“Wholesale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholesale. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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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