sell1

[sel] /sɛl/
verb (used with object), sold, selling.
1.
to transfer (goods) to or render (services) for another in exchange for money; dispose of to a purchaser for a price:
He sold the car to me for $1000.
2.
to deal in; keep or offer for sale:
He sells insurance. This store sells my favorite brand.
3.
to make a sale or offer for sale to:
He'll sell me the car for $1000.
4.
to persuade or induce (someone) to buy something:
The salesman sold me on a more expensive model than I wanted.
5.
to persuade or induce someone to buy (something):
The clerk really sold the shoes to me by flattery.
6.
to make sales of:
The hot record sold a million copies this month.
7.
to cause to be accepted, especially generally or widely:
to sell an idea to the public.
8.
to cause or persuade to accept; convince:
to sell the voters on a candidate.
9.
to accept a price for or make a profit of (something not a proper object for such action):
to sell one's soul for political power.
10.
to force or exact a price for:
The defenders of the fort sold their lives dearly.
11.
Informal. to cheat, betray, or hoax.
verb (used without object), sold, selling.
12.
to engage in selling something.
13.
to be on sale.
14.
to offer something for sale:
I like this house—will they sell?
15.
to be employed to persuade or induce others to buy, as a salesperson or a clerk in a store:
One sister is a cashier and the other sells.
16.
to have a specific price; be offered for sale at the price indicated (followed by at or for):
Eggs used to sell at sixty cents a dozen. This shirt sells for thirty dollars.
17.
to be in demand by buyers:
On a rainy day, umbrellas really sell.
18.
to win acceptance, approval, or adoption:
Here's an idea that'll sell.
noun
19.
an act or method of selling.
20.
Stock Exchange. a security to be sold.
21.
Informal. a cheat; hoax.
Verb phrases
22.
sell off, to sell, especially at reduced prices, in order to get rid of:
The city is selling off a large number of small lots at public auction.
23.
sell out,
  1. to dispose of entirely by selling.
  2. to betray (an associate, one's country, a cause, etc.); turn traitor:
    He committed suicide rather than sell out to the enemy.
24.
sell up, British. to sell out:
She was forced to sell up her entire stock of crystal.
Idioms
25.
sell short. short (def 49).
26.
sell someone a bill of goods. bill of goods (def 3).
Origin
before 900; Middle English sellen (v.), Old English sellan orig., to give, hence, give up (someone) to an enemy, betray, exchange for money; cognate with Old Norse selja, Low German sellen, Gothic saljan to give up, sell, orig., to cause to take; akin to Greek heleîn to take
Related forms
sellable, adjective
Synonyms
1. exchange, vend. See trade.
Antonyms
1. buy.
British Dictionary definitions for sell out

sell out

verb (adverb)
1.
to dispose of (supplies of something) completely by selling Also (chiefly Brit) sell up
2.
(transitive) (informal) to betray, esp through a secret agreement
3.
(intransitive) (informal) to abandon one's principles, standards, etc
noun
4.
(informal) a performance for which all tickets are sold
5.
a commercial success
6.
(informal) a betrayal
7.
(informal) a person who betrays their principles, standards, friends, etc

sell

/sɛl/
verb sells, selling, sold
1.
to dispose of or transfer or be disposed of or transferred to a purchaser in exchange for money or other consideration; put or be on sale
2.
to deal in (objects, property, etc): he sells used cars for a living
3.
(transitive) to give up or surrender for a price or reward: to sell one's honour
4.
to promote or facilitate the sale of (objects, property, etc): publicity sells many products
5.
to induce or gain acceptance of: to sell an idea
6.
(intransitive) to be in demand on the market: these dresses sell well in the spring
7.
(transitive) (informal) to deceive or cheat
8.
(transitive) foll by on. to persuade to accept or approve (of): to sell a buyer on a purchase
9.
(informal) sell down the river, to betray
10.
sell oneself
  1. to convince someone else of one's potential or worth
  2. to give up one's moral or spiritual standards, etc
11.
sell short
  1. (informal) to disparage or belittle
  2. (finance) to sell securities or goods without owning them in anticipation of buying them before delivery at a lower price
noun
12.
the act or an instance of selling Compare hard sell, soft sell
13.
(informal)
  1. a trick, hoax, or deception
  2. (Irish) a great disappointment: the service in the hotel was a sell
See also sell in, sell off, sell out, sell up
Derived Forms
sellable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English sellan to lend, deliver; related to Old Norse selja to sell, Gothic saljan to offer sacrifice, Old High German sellen to sell, Latin cōnsilium advice
Word Origin and History for sell out

sell

v.

Old English sellan "to give, furnish, supply, lend; surrender, give up; deliver to; promise," from Proto-Germanic *saljan "offer up, deliver" (cf. Old Norse selja "to hand over, deliver, sell;" Old Frisian sella, Old High German sellen "to give, hand over, sell;" Gothic saljan "to offer a sacrifice"), ultimately from PIE root *sel- (3) "to take, grasp."

Meaning "to give up for money" had emerged by c.1000, but in Chaucer selle still can mean "to give." Students of Old English learn early that the word that looks like sell usually means "give." An Old English word for "to sell" was bebycgan, from bycgan "to buy."

Slang meaning "to swindle" is from 1590s. The noun phrase hard sell is recorded from 1952. To sell one's soul is from c.1570. Sell-by date is from 1972. To sell like hot cakes is from 1839. Selling-point attested from 1959.

To sell (someone) down the river is first recorded 1927, but probably from or with recollection of slavery days, on notion of sale from the Upper South to the cotton plantations of the Deep South (attested in this literal sense since 1851).

Slang definitions & phrases for sell out

sell out 1

verb phrase

To become a traitor, esp to prostitute one's ideals, talents, etc, for money or other comforts: are often labeled Toms and mammies who sold out/ accuse them of selling out Chiang Kai-shek (1888+)


sell out 2

verb phrase

To dispose of entirely by sale: You can't get that here, we sold out (1796+)


sell

noun

A hoax or swindle; a deception: The Cardiff Giant was a ''sell'' (1838+)

verb
  1. To cheat; swindle; hoax: I've tunneled, hydraulicked, and cradled, and I have been frequently sold (1597+)
  2. o convince someone of the value of something: But would it sell anybody else? I doubt it (1916+)
Related Terms

hard sell, soft sell, be sold on

[first verb sense said in an article of 1810 to be derived from sell a bargain, ''the dexterous transfer of any unmarketable commodity for a high price to an unwary customer'']


Idioms and Phrases with sell out

sell out

.
Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company, or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago. [ Late 1700s ]
.
Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side. [ ; late 1800s ]

sell

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