sell
verb/sel/
/sel/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they sell | /sel/ /sel/ |
| he / she / it sells | /selz/ /selz/ |
| past simple sold | /səʊld/ /səʊld/ |
| past participle sold | /səʊld/ /səʊld/ |
| -ing form selling | /ˈselɪŋ/ /ˈselɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to give something to somebody in exchange for money
- sell (something) I recently sold my bike.
- His parents went bankrupt and the family had to sell their home.
- The board agreed to sell the company.
- The shares were sold in the open market.
- We offered them a good price but they wouldn't sell.
- sell something to somebody The council is planning to sell the land to developers for housing.
- sell something to somebody for something I sold my car to James for £800.
- sell somebody something (for something) I sold James my car for £800.
- sell something at something They sold the business at a profit/loss (= they gained/lost money when they sold it).
- sell at something They sold at a loss.
- They never buy more than they can sell at a good price.
Homophones cell | sellcell sell/sel//sel/- cell noun
- Genes for human skin exist in every human cell.
- sell verb
- He suggests she sell her house and go to Brazil with him.
Extra ExamplesTopics Shoppinga1, Businessa1, Moneya1, Houses and homesa1- It will be hard to sell 3 000 tickets.
- The company has been forced to sell land to recoup some of the losses.
- The painting was sold at auction for $11.3 million.
- The property proved hard to sell.
- They are still trying to sell their house.
- This medicine is sold over the counter.
- Your broker has the right to sell your shares.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- cheaply
- be able to
- can
- want to
- …
- at
- for
- to
- …
- sell something at a discount
- sell something at a loss
- sell something at a premium
- …
- cheaply
- [transitive] to offer something for people to buy
- sell something Most supermarkets sell a range of organic products.
- Do you sell stamps?
- to sell insurance
- His books are sold worldwide.
- She decided to sell her work in order to support her family.
- They began selling spectacles in 1783.
- sell something for/at something We sell these little notebooks at €1 each.
Extra ExamplesTopics Shoppinga1- Many banks are willing to buy and sell shares on behalf of customers.
- 90 percent of the goods sold in its stores were made in Britain.
- Increasing numbers of drugs are licensed to be sold over the counter.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- cheaply
- be able to
- can
- want to
- …
- at
- for
- to
- …
- sell something at a discount
- sell something at a loss
- sell something at a premium
- …
- cheaply
- [transitive, intransitive] to be bought by people in the way or in the numbers mentioned; to be offered at the price mentioned
- The book sold well and was reprinted many times.
- The new design just didn't sell (= nobody bought it).
- sell something The magazine sells 300 000 copies a week.
- Their last album sold millions.
- The novel was expected to sell between 1 000 and 1 500 copies.
- sell for/at something The pens sell for just 50p each.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- cheaply
- be able to
- can
- want to
- …
- at
- for
- to
- …
- sell something at a discount
- sell something at a loss
- sell something at a premium
- …
- cheaply
- [intransitive, transitive] to make people want to buy something
- You may not like it but advertising sells.
- sell something It is quality not price that sells our products.
- [transitive] sell something/yourself (to somebody) to persuade somebody that something is a good idea, service, product, etc.; to persuade somebody that you are the right person for a job, position, etc.
- Now we have to try and sell the idea to management.
- You really have to sell yourself at a job interview.
- [transitive] sell yourself (to somebody) (disapproving) to accept money or a reward from somebody for doing something that is against your principles synonym prostitute see also sale
exchange for money
offer for sale
be bought
persuade
take money/reward
Word OriginOld English sellan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse selja ‘give up, sell’. Early use included the sense ‘give, hand (something) over voluntarily following a request’.
Idioms
See sell in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee sell in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe sold on something
- (informal) to be very enthusiastic about something
- We were really sold on the idea.
go/sell like hot cakes
- to be bought quickly or in great numbers
sell your body
- to have sex with somebody in exchange for money
sell somebody down the river
- (informal) to give poor or unfair treatment to somebody you have promised to help synonym betray
sell off the farm
- (Australian English, New Zealand English, informal) to sell a country's assets, such as land or property, to foreign owners
- The government is happy to keep selling off the farm.
sell somebody/buy a pup
- (British English, old-fashioned, informal) to sell somebody something/to buy something that has no value or is worth much less than the price paid
sell somebody/yourself short
- to not value somebody/yourself highly enough and show this by the way you treat or present them/yourself
sell your soul (to the devil)
- to do anything, even something really bad or dishonest, in return for money, success or powerTopics Successc2
Check pronunciation:
sell