sell (sells 3rd person present) (selling present participle) (sold past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you sell something that you own, you let someone have it in return for money.
I sold everything I owned except for my car and my books... V n
His heir sold the painting to the London art dealer Agnews... V n to n
The directors sold the business for £14.8 million... V n for n
It's not a very good time to sell at the moment. V
2 verb If a shop sells a particular thing, it is available for people to buy there.
It sells everything from hair ribbons to oriental rugs... V n
Bean sprouts are also sold in cans. V n
3 verb If something sellsfor a particular price, that price is paid for it.
Unmodernised property can sell for up to 40 per cent of its modernised market value. V for/at n
4 verb If something sells, it is bought by the public, usually in fairly large quantities.
Even if this album doesn't sell and the critics don't like it, we wouldn't ever change... V
The company believes the products will sell well in the run-up to Christmas. V adv
5 verb Something that sells a product makes people want to buy the product.
It is only the sensational that sells news magazines. V n
...car manufacturers' long-held maxim that safety doesn't sell. V
6 verb If you sell someone an idea or proposal, or sell someone on an idea, you convince them that it is a good one.
She tried to sell me the idea of buying my own paper shredder... V n n
She is hoping she can sell the idea to clients... V n to n
An employee sold him on the notion that cable was the medium of the future... V n on n
You know, I wasn't sold on this trip in the beginning. V-ed
7 If someone sells their body, they have sex for money.
sell one's body phrase V and N inflect
85 per cent said they would rather not sell their bodies for a living.
8 If someone sells you down the river, they betray you for some personal profit or advantage.
sell sb down the river phrase V inflects
He has been sold down the river by the people who were supposed to protect him.
9 If you sell someone short, you do not point out their good qualities as much as you should or do as much for them as you should.
sell oneself/sb short phrase V inflects
They need to improve their image<endash>they are selling themselves short...
10 If you talk about someone selling their soul in order to get something, you are criticizing them for abandoning their principles.
sell one's soul phrase V and N inflect (disapproval)
...a man who would sell his soul for political viability. sell off phrasal verb If you sell something off, you sell it because you need the money.
The company is selling off some sites and concentrating on cutting debts... V P n (not pron)
We had to sell things off to pay the brewery bill. V n P
→
sell-off sell on phrasal verb If you buy something and then sell it on, you sell it to someone else soon after buying it, usually in order to make a profit.
Mr Farrier bought cars at auctions and sold them on... V n P
The arms had been sold to a businessman; he sold them on to paramilitary groups. V n P to n sell out
1 phrasal verb If a shop sells out of something, it sells all its stocks of it, so that there is no longer any left for people to buy.
Hardware stores have sold out of water pumps and tarpaulins... V P of n
The next day the bookshops sold out. V P
2 phrasal verb If a performance, sports event, or other entertainment sells out, all the tickets for it are sold.
Football games often sell out well in advance. V P
3 phrasal verb When things sell out, all of them that are available are sold.
Tickets for the show sold out in 70 minutes. V P
4 phrasal verb If you accuse someone of selling out, you disapprove of the fact that they do something which used to be against their principles, or give in to an opposing group., (disapproval)
The young in particular see him as a man who will not sell out or be debased by the compromises of politics... V P
Many of his Greenwich Village associates thought Dylan had sold out to commercialism. V P to n
5 phrasal verb Sell out means the same as sell up.
(AM)
I hear she's going to sell out and move to the city. V P
6 →
sell-out →
sold out sell up phrasal verb If you sell up, you sell everything you have, such as your house or your business, because you need the money. (BRIT) ...all these farmers going out of business and having to sell up... V P He advised Evans to sell up his flat and move away to the country. V P n (not pron) in AM, use sell out
hard sell
A hard sell is a method of selling in which the salesperson puts a lot of pressure on someone to make them buy something. n-sing oft N n
...a double-glazing firm whose hard-sell techniques were exposed by a consumer programme.
mis-sell (mis-sells 3rd person present) (mis-selling present participle) (mis-sold past tense & past participle )To mis-sell something such as a pension or an insurance policy means to sell it to someone even though you know that it is not suitable for them. (BUSINESS) verb
The company has been accused of mis-selling products to thousands of elderly investors. V n
sell-by date (sell-by dates plural )
1 n-count The sell-by date on a food container is the date by which the food should be sold or eaten before it starts to decay.
(BRIT)
...a piece of cheese four weeks past its sell-by date.
in AM, use expiration date
2 If you say that someone or something is past their sell-by date, you mean they are no longer effective, interesting, or useful.
(BRIT)
past one's sell-by date phrase N inflects, v-link PHR (disapproval)
As a sportsman, he is long past his sell-by date.
sell-off (sell-offs plural ), selloff The sell-off of something, for example an industry owned by the state or a company's shares, is the selling of it. (BUSINESS) n-count usu with supp
The privatisation of the electricity industry<endash>the biggest sell-off of them all...
sell-out (sell-outs plural ), sellout
1 n-count If a play, sports event, or other entertainment is a sell-out, all the tickets for it are sold.
usu sing, oft N n
Their concert there was a sell-out.
2 n-count If you describe someone's behaviour as a sell-out, you disapprove of the fact that they have done something which used to be against their principles, or given in to an opposing group.
usu sing, oft N to n (disapproval)
For some, his decision to become a Socialist candidate at Sunday's election was simply a sell-out.
sell-through
A sell-through video is a film on video that you can buy. adj ADJ n
soft sell , soft-sell
A soft sell is a method of selling or advertising that involves persuading people in a gentle way rather than putting a lot of pressure on people to buy things. (BUSINESS) n-sing
(Antonym: hard sell)
I think more customers probably prefer a soft sell.
