n.1 the exchange of a commodity for money etc.; an act or instance of selling.
2 the amount sold (the sales were enormous).
3 the rapid disposal of goods at reduced prices for a period esp. at the end of a season etc.
4 a an event at which goods are sold. b a public auction.
Phrases and idioms:
on (or for) sale offered for purchase. sale of work an event where goods made by parishioners etc. are sold for charity. sale or return an arrangement by which a purchaser takes a quantity of goods with the right of returning surplus goods without payment. sale-ring a circle of buyers at an auction. sales clerk US a salesman or saleswoman in a shop. sales department etc. the section of a firm concerned with selling as opposed to manufacturing or dispatching goods. sales engineer a salesperson with technical knowledge of the goods and their market. sales resistance the opposition or apathy of a prospective customer etc. to be overcome by salesmanship. sales talk persuasive talk to promote the sale of goods or the acceptance of an idea etc. sales tax a tax on sales or on the receipts from sales.
Etymology: OE sala f. ON