Definition of SELL

sell

Plural: sells

Noun

  • the activity of persuading someone to buy
    • "it was a hard sell"
  • An act of selling; sale.
  • The promotion of an idea for acceptance.
  • An easy task.
  • An imposition, a cheat; a hoax; a disappointment; anything occasioning a loss of pride or dignity.
  • A seat or stool.
  • A saddle.
  • A rope (usually for tying up cattle, but can also mean any sort of rope).

Verb

Verb Forms: sold, selling, sells

  • To exchange something for money or other valuable consideration.
  • exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
    • "She sells her body to survive and support her drug habit"
  • be sold at a certain price or in a certain way
    • "These books sell like hot cakes"
  • persuade somebody to accept something
    • "The French try to sell us their image as great lovers"
  • do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood
    • "The brothers sell shoes"
  • give up for a price or reward
  • be approved of or gain acceptance
  • be responsible for the sale of
  • deliver to an enemy by treachery
  • To transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.
  • To be sold.
  • To promote (a product or service) although not being paid in any direct way or at all.
  • To promote (a particular viewpoint).
  • To betray for money or other things.
  • To trick, cheat, or manipulate someone.
  • To pretend that an opponent's blows or maneuvers are causing legitimate injury; to act.
  • To throw under the bus; to let down one's own team in an endeavour, especially in a sport or a game.

Examples

  • He picked up the sell from the straw-strewn barn-floor, snelly sneaked up behind her and sleekly slung it around her swire while scryingː "dee, dee ye fooking quhoreǃ".
  • He really sold in that match.
  • He's selling!
  • I'll sell you three books for a hundred dollars.
  • My boss is very old-fashioned and I'm having a lot of trouble selling the idea of working at home occasionally.
  • She sold her old car very quickly.
  • Sometimes you have to SELL your best tiles to make a low-scoring, but vital, block.
  • Sorry, I'm not prepared to sell.
  • The corn sold for a good price.
  • This is going to be a tough sell.
  • This old stock will never sell.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English sellen, from Old English sellan (“give; give up for money”), from Proto-West Germanic *salljan, from Proto-Germanic *saljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁-. Compare Danish sælge, Swedish sälja, Icelandic selja.

Antonyms

buy, barter

Scrabble Score: 4

sell: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
sell: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
sell: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 6

sell: valid Words With Friends Word