sell

sell1 [ sel ] (past tense and past participle sold [ sould ] ) verb ***

1. ) transitive to exchange something for money:

They've already sold over two million copies of their record.

sell something at a profit/loss (=for more/less money than you paid): I don't think dealers sell these cars at much of a profit.

buy and sell something: My uncle buys and sells antiques for a living.

a ) transitive to persuade someone to buy something from a business that employs you:

sell someone something: I sold one customer five pairs of shoes yesterday.

b ) transitive a store that sells a particular product has a supply of it for customers to buy:

Do you think they sell children's books here?

c ) intransitive if something sells, people buy it:

Designer clothes don't really sell much in the smaller towns.

something sells well (=a lot of people buy it): Her new book sold very well in the first six months.

2. ) transitive to be a quality that makes people want to buy, have, or do something:

Sex and violence have sold a lot of movie tickets.

3. ) transitive INFORMAL to persuade someone to do, have, or use something:

I don't think we could sell the idea to our partners.

sell someone down the river INFORMAL

to allow someone who trusts you to be harmed so that you can get an advantage for yourself

sell someone short

to describe someone or something as less impressive than they really are:

His main fault is that he tends to sell himself short.

sell your body

to have sex with people because they pay you money

sell yourself

to persuade people that you have a lot of ability:

If you can't sell yourself you're not likely to sell anything else.

=> HOT CAKES

,sell `off phrasal verb transitive

to sell something quickly and for a low price, usually because you need money:

The company will have to sell off assets to avoid bankruptcy.

`sell on phrasal verb transitive

1. ) sell someone on something AMERICAN INFORMAL to persuade someone to do or have something:

I don't think I've sold her on spending Christmas with my parents.

be sold on something: I'm not completely sold on that idea.

2. ) to sell something after buying it from someone else

,sell `out phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive or transitive if a store sells out of something, it sells all that it has so that there is no more available:

I went to get some bread, but the supermarket had sold out.

sell out of: On a hot day, we can sell out of ice cream in an hour.

a ) intransitive used about products or other things people sell:

The tickets had sold out within a few short hours.

2. ) intransitive INFORMAL to do something that shows you no longer have the same moral principles you used to have:

sell out to: Some fans thought she'd sold out to mainstream pop music.

3. ) intransitive AMERICAN to deliberately sell all the goods in your business, especially because you are closing the business permanently

sell

sell 2 [ sel ] noun see HARD SELL see SOFT SELL