sell

1 /sel/ verb past tense and past participle sold /sUld/

1 GIVE STH FOR MONEY (I, T) to give something to someone in exchange for money: If you offer them another thousand, I think they'll sell. | sell sth for -100/$50/30p etc: Toni's selling her car for -700. | sell sb sth/sell sth to sb: I'm not selling you my shares! | The vase was sold to an American buyer. | sell sth: Now he regrets selling all his old records. | sell sth at a profit/loss (=making or losing money on a sale)

—opposite buy 1

2 MAKE STH AVAILABLE (T) to offer something for people to buy: Do you sell cigarettes? | a job selling advertising space

3 sell at/for -100/$50/30p to be offered for sale at a particular price: Smoke alarms sell for as little as five pounds.

4 MAKE STH ATTRACTIVE (T) to make people want to buy something: Scandal sells newspapers. | sell sb sth/sell sth to sb (=persuade someone that they want to buy something): You have to go out and really sell the stuff, Leo.

5 SELL A LOT (I) to be bought by people in large numbers: Tickets for the concert just aren't selling. | sell well/badly: Anti-age creams always sell well.

6 sell like hotcakes to sell quickly and in large amounts

7 IDEA/PLAN (I, T) to try to make someone accept a new idea or plan, or to become accepted: It's all right for Washington, but will it sell in small-town America? | sell sb sth/sell sth to sb: Just try selling taxes to the voters | be sold on (doing) sth/be sold on the idea (=think an idea or plan is very good): Joe's completely sold on the concept - he thinks it's brilliant.

8 sell yourself

a) to be able to make yourself seem impressive to other people: If you want a promotion, you've got to sell yourself better.

b) to do something that is against your principles in exchange for money or some other advantage

9 sell sb/sth short to not give someone or something the praise, attention, or reward that they deserve: You're selling yourself short - tell them about all your qualifications.

10 sell your body to have sex with someone for money

11 sell your soul (to the devil) to do something bad in exchange for money, power etc

12 sell sb down the river to do something that harms a group of people who trusted you to help them, in order to gain money or power for yourself

13 sell your support/vote AmE to give your support or vote to the person who will give you the biggest financial advantage

sell off phrasal verb (T)

1 sell sth off to try to get rid of things that no one seems to want to buy by selling them cheaply: Looks like they're trying to sell off a bunch of junk.

2 to sell something because you need the money: After the war we were forced to sell off part of the farm.

3 to sell all or part of an industry or company

sell out phrasal verb

1 be/have sold out if a shop sells out of something, it has no more of that particular thing left to sell: Sorry, we're sold out. | have sold out of sth: We've completely sold out of those shirts in your size, sir.

2 (I) if a product, tickets, places at a concert etc sell out, they are all sold and there are none left: Wow! Those scarves sold out fast. | be sold out: Tonight's performance is completely sold out.

3 (I, T) to not keep to your beliefs or principles in order to get more money, a comfortable life, or a political advantage: Ex-hippies who've sold out and become respectable businessmen.

4 (intransitive + to) to sell your business or your share in a business: Wyman says he'll sell out if business doesn't pick up.

sell up phrasal verb (I, T) especially BrE to sell most of what you own, especially your house or your business: Liz decided to sell up and move abroad. 2 noun (singular) BrE informal something you have been tricked into buying or doing that disappoints you: What a sell! It's only plastic that looks like wood. —see also: hard sell, soft sell