INDEX:
1. to sell something
2. to sell illegal goods
3. to sell something to the person who offers the most money
4. someone who sells things in a shop
5. a person or company that sells goods, shares etc
6. someone who sells things illegally
7. something that is sold
8. to make something available for people to buy
9. available for people to buy
10. to stop selling something
11. the amount of something that is sold
12. when a lot of something is sold
13. when all of something has been sold
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ BUY
↑ SHOP/STORE
↑ COST
↑ ADVERTISING
↑ BUSINESS
↑ EXPENSIVE
↑ CHEAP
◆◆◆
1. to sell something
▷ sell /sel/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to give something to someone in exchange for money :
▪ Tom’s thinking of selling his motorcycle and buying a new one.
▪ If you can, wait to sell until prices are high.
▪ Postcards and souvenirs were being sold outside the cathedral.
sell somebody something
▪ The company sold Braugh $100,000 worth of computers at discounted rates.
sell something to somebody
▪ It is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under the age of 18.
▪ The painting was sold to an art gallery in Philadelphia.
sell something for £250/$50 etc
▪ The antique buttons are very valuable, and we sell them for £100 and upwards.
▷ sell off /ˌsel ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to sell something, usually a group of things, at a reduced price in order to get rid of it quickly, because you need the money soon, or because it will not last a long time :
sell something off
▪ The bakery usually sells its cakes off at half price just before closing time.
sell off something
▪ After the funeral the house contents were sold off quickly to pay all his debts.
▪ The school district may be forced to close schools and sell off land in order to make much-needed repairs.
▷ export /ɪkˈspɔːʳt/ [transitive verb]
if a country or a company exports its products, it sends them to another country in order to sell them :
▪ Japanese televisions and hi-fi systems are exported all over the world.
▪ Ancient artefacts cannot be exported.
export something to France/the UK/Japan etc
▪ In 1986 they exported 210,000 cases of wine to the UK.
exporter [countable noun]
▪ Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s leading exporters of oil.
export [adjective only before noun]
▪ Export earnings are lower than last year.
▷ sell up /ˌsel ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb] British
to sell your house, your business, or other things you own in order to move to a different place or to do something different :
▪ Why don’t we sell up and move to Canada? Property is really cheap there!
▪ My parents sold up the farm and went to live in Glasgow.
▷ serve /sɜːʳv/ [transitive verb]
if someone who works in a shop or a bar serves a customer, they help them to buy or choose the goods that they want :
▪ There was a line of people in front of me who were all waiting to be served.
▪ Estrada was serving a customer when the fire started.
▪ It is illegal to serve alcoholic drinks to anyone under 18.
▷ deal in /ˈdiːl ɪn/ [transitive verb]
to buy and sell a particular kind of goods as part of your business :
▪ The gallery deals mostly in paintings but they do sometimes sell photographs.
▪ Tax agents are visiting more than 5,000 businesses that deal in expensive items such as cars, boats, and jewels.
▷ the sale of something /ðə ˈseɪl əv something/ [noun phrase]
when something is sold :
▪ The rebels are using money from the sale of drugs to buy weapons.
▪ The law prohibits the sale and consumption of alcohol on unlicensed premises.
▷ flog /flɒgǁflɑːg/ [transitive verb] British informal
to sell something, especially something that is of low quality or that has something wrong with it :
▪ There was a man at the market who was flogging watches for £10 each.
flog somebody something
▪ Don’t let him flog you his car -- he’s had endless trouble with it.
▷ peddle /ˈpedl/ [transitive verb]
to sell goods, usually things that are cheap, especially by going from place to place rather than selling them in a shop :
▪ Street vendors peddled flowers and candles.
▪ Belloni started her bakery business by peddling her homemade bread to local stores.
▷ trading /ˈtreɪdɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the activity of selling goods or shares in companies :
▪ Trading started briskly on the New York Stock Exchange this morning.
stop/cease trading
▪ The company ran out of money and was forced to cease trading.
2. to sell illegal goods
▷ peddle /ˈpedl/ [transitive verb]
to sell illegal drugs to people :
▪ The gang earned as much as $10 million a month peddling heroin and cocaine.
peddle something to somebody
▪ Stricter punishments will be given to those convicted of peddling drugs to children.
▷ deal in /ˈdiːl ɪn/ [transitive verb]
to buy and sell illegal goods such as drugs or weapons :
▪ The police suspect him of dealing in stolen goods.
▪ Police believe Fry was dealing in narcotics.
▪ The article accuses Davis of dealing in arms.
▷ push /pʊʃ/ [transitive verb] informal
to sell illegal drugs, especially to people who are trying them for the first time, to make them want more :
▪ Anyone caught pushing heroin or cocaine is given a long prison sentence.
▷ trafficking /ˈtræfɪkɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
selling large quantities of illegal drugs or taking them into another country in order to sell them :
▪ In Thailand the penalty for drug trafficking is death.
▪ Customs officials claim to have uncovered a major drug-trafficking ring.
trafficking in
▪ The two girls were arrested for trafficking in hard drugs.
▷ black market /ˌblæk ˈmɑːʳkə̇t/ [countable noun usually singular]
the system by which people illegally buy and sell goods or foreign money, especially for high prices, often because these things are difficult to obtain legally :
▪ Authorities are worried about the growing black market in the city.
on the black market
▪ You can get a much better rate for your dollar on the black market than in a bank.
black market in
▪ The immigration service is concerned about a thriving black market in phoney ID cards and working permits.
black market [adjective]
▪ A man came up to me in the street and offered to sell me some black market cigarettes.
▪ The people here are forced to pay exorbitant black market prices for everyday goods such as food and clothes.
3. to sell something to the person who offers the most money
▷ auction also auction off /ˈɔːkʃ ə n, ˌɔːkʃ ə n ˈɒf/ [transitive verb]
▪ One of the Beatles’ guitars is being auctioned for charity.
▪ The contents of the house were auctioned to pay off the family’s debts.
▷ auction /ˈɔːkʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a public meeting at which things are sold to the person who offers to pay the most money :
▪ The buyer did not attend the auction, but sent a representative to place the bids.
hold an auction
▪ Sotheby’s decided to hold auctions in Japan twice a year.
at (an) auction
▪ Bikes that have not been claimed by the owners will be sold at a public auction January 11.
▪ How much do you think the painting would fetch at auction?
▷ put something up for auction /ˌpʊt something ˌʌp fər ˈɔːkʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to arrange for something be sold at a public meeting to the person who offers to pay the most money :
▪ After months trying to sell the farm, they decided to put it up for auction.
▪ One of the world’s finest collections of vintage cars is to be put up for auction.
▷ come/go under the hammer /ˌkʌm, ˌgəʊ ʌndəʳ ðə ˈhæməʳ/ [verb phrase] informal
if something comes or goes under the hammer, especially something valuable such as a famous painting, it is sold at an auction :
▪ A collection of prints and paintings by Picasso came under the hammer at Sotheby’s yesterday.
4. someone who sells things in a shop
▷ shopkeeper /ˈʃɒpˌkiːpəʳǁˈʃɑːp-/ [countable noun] especially British
someone who owns or is in charge of a small shop :
▪ The shopkeeper chased the boys out of his shop, accusing them of stealing.
▪ Many immigrants have been highly successful as shopkeepers.
▷ proprietor /prəˈpraɪətəʳ/ [countable noun] formal
someone who owns a small shop :
▪ Proprietor Ginny Gavin serves fresh croissants and fruit at breakfast to guests at her inn.
proprietor of
▪ Dan Conrad, the proprietor of Conrad’s Bookstore, says that small stores such as his offer service and convenience.
▷ merchant /ˈmɜːʳtʃ ə nt/ [countable noun] American written
someone who owns or is in charge of a shop :
▪ Local merchants have had trouble with vandals breaking windows.
▪ Merchants say sales have not been affected by the road repairs.
▷ sales assistant also shop assistant British /sales clerk American /ˈseɪlz əˌsɪst ə nt, ˈʃɒp əˌsɪst ə ntǁˈʃɑːp-, ˈseɪlz ˌklɑːkǁ-ˌklɜːrk/ [countable noun]
someone who deals with customers in a shop and sells them things :
▪ Rowan worked as a sales assistant in a Beverly Hills shopping mall.
▪ She’s a shop assistant in the shoe department.
▪ Get advice from a knowledgeable sales clerk.
▷ salesman/saleswoman/salesperson /ˈseɪlzmən, ˈseɪlzˌwʊmən, ˈseɪlzˌpɜːʳs ə n/ [countable noun]
someone whose job is to persuade people, shops, and companies to buy their company’s products :
▪ I worked for a while as a salesman for a big computer corporation.
▪ Gail has been the firm’s top saleswoman for the last two years.
▷ sales staff /ˈseɪlz ˌstɑːfǁ-ˌstæf/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
the members of a company whose job is to persuade people to buy that company’s products, or to sell goods to people in a shop :
▪ The company has a sales staff of 600.
▪ Customers liked the personal service the sales staff provided.
▷ vendor /ˈvendəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who sells things to people in the street :
▪ Outside the theatre, there was a row of flower vendors.
▪ Frank stopped to buy the evening paper from a news vendor.
street vendor
▪ Flags sold by street vendors fluttered in the crowd of about 5,000.
5. a person or company that sells goods, shares etc
▷ retailer /ˈriːteɪləʳ/ [countable noun]
a company or person that sells goods to the public in a shop - used especially in business contexts :
▪ Our products are sold through the Body Shop and other well-known retailers.
▪ Retailers face their slowest business period in January and February.
clothing/furnishings/women’s etc retailer
▪ Talbot’s is a women’s retailer with 20 stores in California.
high-street retailer
British a company that has shops in the main shopping area of several towns
▪ One high-street retailer has gone out of business.
▷ wholesaler /ˈhəʊlˌseɪləʳ/ [countable noun]
a person or company that sells goods in large quantities and at low prices, especially to other companies that then sell the goods to the public :
▪ The early morning market is for wholesalers only, the general public have to wait until later in the day.
fish/meat/clothing etc wholesaler
▪ Fisherman are involved in a price dispute with fish wholesalers.
▷ merchant /ˈmɜːʳtʃ ə nt/ [countable noun]
a person or company that buys and sells large quantities of goods such as wine, or basic materials such as coal and wood :
▪ She was born in 1432, the daughter of a wealthy London merchant.
arms/wine/antiques etc merchant
▪ an international arms merchant
▷ dealer /ˈdiːləʳ/ [countable noun]
a person or a company that buys and sells a particular type of goods, or that sells a particular company’s products :
▪ Make sure you buy your used car from an authorised dealer.
▪ ‘The market has been strong,’ said one dealer.
art/car/antique etc dealer
▪ She bought the painting from a Swiss art dealer.
bond/securities/currency etc dealer
▪ According to a senior currency dealer, the pound is likely to continue to rise against the dollar.
▷ trader /ˈtreɪdəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who buys and sells goods, especially in a very far away place, or who buys and sells shares on the financial market :
▪ Traders enter the amount of stock they want to buy or sell, and the computer calculates a price.
fur/slave/arms etc trader
▪ Montreal was founded by French fur traders in the 17th century.
bond/currency/stock etc trader
▪ Bond traders worried about inflation have driven up interest rates on long-term bonds.
▷ seller /ˈseləʳ/ [countable noun]
the person who sells something to another person or company in a business deal :
▪ Both buyer and seller should agree on the terms before the contract is signed.
6. someone who sells things illegally
▷ pusher/dealer /ˈpʊʃəʳ, ˈdiːləʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who buys and sells illegal drugs :
▪ Dealers were selling heroin outside the stadium.
▪ Drug pushers have been warned to stay away from the club.
▪ Residents complain of cocaine and heroin dealers selling on the streets outside their homes.
▷ tout British /scalper American /taʊt, ˈskælpəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who stands outside a sports event or concert and sells tickets for it at high prices :
▪ Touts were selling tickets to the match for £50 or more.
▪ Organisers of the concert were worried there would be trouble from ticket touts.
▪ Scalpers wanted $150 for seats that normally sell for $40.
7. something that is sold
▷ goods /gʊdz/ [plural noun]
things that are produced in order to be sold :
▪ The store sells a wide range of goods.
▪ The cost of almost all goods and services soared when price controls were removed.
▪ We import a lot of electrical goods from Japan.
▷ product /ˈprɒdʌktǁˈprɑː-/ [countable noun]
something that is made, grown, or designed in order to be sold :
▪ There is less demand now for products like coal and steel.
▪ The new product took more than three years to develop before being put on the market.
▪ The company manufactures and delivers paper and paper products.
▷ merchandise /ˈmɜːʳtʃ ə ndaɪz, -daɪs/ [uncountable noun]
things that are produced in order to be sold, especially when they are shown for sale in a shop - used especially in business contexts :
▪ The merchandise is attractively displayed and the assistants are friendly and helpful.
▪ The fire at the warehouse destroyed merchandise valued at over $2 million.
▷ export /ˈekspɔːʳt/ [countable noun usually plural]
goods that are sent to a foreign country in order to be sold :
▪ The value of China’s exports to the US rose by over 50% last year.
▪ Britain’s total exports to the other EU member states now exceed imports.
▪ The country’s main export is coal.
8. to make something available for people to buy
▷ put something on the market also come/go on the market /ˌpʊt something ɒn ðə ˈmɑːʳkə̇t, ˌkʌm, ˌgəʊ ɒn ðə ˈmɑːʳkə̇t/ [verb phrase]
▪ We put our house on the market last September and we still haven’t sold it.
▪ The drug came on the market in the late 1990s and has been widely prescribed.
▪ The car will probably sell for around $50,000 when it goes on the market.
▪ Most wines are left to mature before they are put on the market.
▷ put something up for sale /ˌpʊt something ʌp fəʳ ˈseɪl/ [verb phrase]
to make something such as a house, business, or piece of land available for people to buy :
▪ The historic property has been put up for sale.
▪ After the merger, parts of the business are likely to be put up for sale.
▷ bring out /ˌbrɪŋ ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if a company brings out a new product that they have made, they make it available for people to buy :
bring out something
▪ Kodak brought out a camera which stores up to 100 images on a computer disc.
bring something out
▪ The two cookbooks have sold well, and Doubleday is bringing them out in new paperback editions.
▷ launch /lɔːntʃ/ [transitive verb]
if a company launches a new product, they publicly announce, especially with a lot of advertising, that it is available for people to buy :
▪ Fiat launched a tiny ‘city car’ especially for Europe’s narrow, crowded streets.
▪ Fezza, the clothes designer, launched his first collection in 1980.
▷ publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ [transitive verb]
to print a book, magazine, or newspaper and make it available for people to buy :
▪ Ladybird publish books for young children.
▪ Amateur Photographer is published every Tuesday.
▪ Rowling’s latest Harry Potter novel sold millions of copies as soon as it was published.
publication /ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when something is published: :
▪ Since the publication of her book, she’s received thousands of letters from women who have had similar experiences.
publisher [countable noun]
a company that publishes books: :
▪ None of the big UK publishers wanted to do a paperback version of the book.
▷ release /rɪˈliːs/ [transitive verb]
if a company releases a record or film, it makes it available for people to buy or see :
▪ Her new album will be released at the end of the month.
▪ Carrey’s new comedy is due to be released in the US very soon.
release [countable noun]
something that has been released: :
▪ The band’s latest release record that has been released
▪ should be in the stores Friday.
9. available for people to buy
▷ for sale /fəʳ ˈseɪl/ [adjective phrase]
if something is for sale, the person who owns it wants to sell it :
▪ There are several houses for sale in our street.
▪ There was ‘for sale’ notice in the car’s window.
▪ The festival will have food and crafts for sale, games for children, and music.
▷ be up for sale /biː ˌʌp fəʳ ˈseɪl/ [verb phrase]
if something such as a house, a shop, or a piece of land is up for sale, it has been publicly announced that it is available for people to buy :
▪ The house has been up for sale for months.
▪ Several subsidiary businesses are up for sale.
▷ be on sale /biː ɒn ˈseɪl/ [verb phrase]
if a product is on sale, you can buy it in the shops :
▪ These cameras are on sale in most electrical stores.
go on sale
begin to be available
▪ The new model Toyota goes on sale next month.
▷ on the market /ɒn ðə ˈmɑːʳkə̇t/ [adjective phrase]
goods that are on the market are available for people to buy - use this especially when you are comparing products of the same general type :
▪ It’s one of the cheapest computers on the market.
▪ There may be better shoes on the market, but this is the one the kids want.
on the market for
▪ The house was on the market for $475,000.
10. to stop selling something
▷ take something off the market /ˌteɪk something ɒf ðə ˈmɑːʳkə̇t/ [verb phrase]
if a company takes a product off the market, it stops producing it and shops stop selling it :
▪ The mineral water was taken off the market while tests were being made.
▪ Sales of the newspaper were so poor that it was taken off the market within a couple of months.
▪ The Federal Drug Administration has said that all products containing the additive must be taken off the market immediately.
▷ withdraw /wɪðˈdrɔː, wɪθ-/ [transitive verb]
if a shop or a company withdraws a product, it makes it unavailable for people to buy by removing it from shops :
▪ Newsagents across the country have withdrawn the magazine after numerous complaints from women’s groups.
▪ After two children had been hurt, the company was forced to withdraw the toy from store shelves.
withdraw something from sale
▪ Christmas decorations were withdrawn from sale yesterday following a fire-risk warning.
withdrawal [uncountable noun]
▪ Stores have agreed to the withdrawal of the offending videos.
▷ recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ [transitive verb]
if a company recalls a product, they ask all the shops that sell it and the people that have bought it to send it back to them for checking, because there may be something wrong with it :
▪ Thousands of car baby-seats have had to be recalled after a fault was discovered in the safety harness.
▪ The company voluntarily recalled about 11,000 of the devices to check them for defects.
recall /rɪˈkɔːlǁrɪˈkɔːl, ˈriːkɔːl/ [uncountable noun]
▪ They put a notice in the press ordering the recall of all the baby food that might have been contaminated.
11. the amount of something that is sold
▷ sales /seɪlz/ [plural noun]
the number of products that a business sells, or the value of the products it sells :
▪ A big price increase led to a fall in sales.
sales of
▪ Sales of the book have been astonishing.
▪ Coupons for discounts on certain products have increased sales of those products.
▷ turnover /ˈtɜːʳnˌəʊvəʳ/ [singular noun]
the value of goods or services that a company sells over a particular period of time :
▪ Turnover at the two restaurants was about $7.4 million this year.
▪ Recently the company has been trying to increase its turnover by diversifying into other fields.
12. when a lot of something is sold
▷ sell /sel/ [intransitive verb]
▪ Books that don’t sell are sent back to the publishers.
▪ The handcrafted rocking horses have sold well across the United States.
▪ The last model didn’t sell as well as they’d expected.
▷ best-selling /ˌbest ˈselɪŋ◂/ [adjective only before noun]
a best-selling product is one that is sold in large numbers, especially more than any other product of the same type :
▪ Agatha Christie is said to be the world’s best-selling author.
▪ a list of the week’s best-selling music and children’s videos
▪ Chanel Number 5 is the best-selling scent of all time.
▷ best-seller /bestseller/best seller /ˌbest ˈseləʳ/ [countable noun]
a book, game, video, record etc that has been bought by a very large number of people :
▪ Several TV movies have been based on best sellers by Danielle Steel.
▪ Every year there’s a toy that becomes a hard-to-find best-seller.
bestseller list
an official list of what has sold most
▪ All four Harry Potter books are currently on the bestseller list.
▷ outsell /aʊtˈsel/ [transitive verb]
if one product outsells another, more of it is sold than the other product :
▪ His latest album has outsold all his other records put together.
▪ Chardonnay continues to outsell other wines.
▷ be selling like hot cakes /biː ˌselɪŋ laɪk ˌhɒt ˈkeɪksǁ-ˌhɑːt-/ [verb phrase] informal
if a product is selling like hot cakes, it is being sold very quickly and in large amounts because people very much want to buy it :
▪ Grisham’s new book is selling like hot cakes.
▷ do a roaring trade /duː ə ˌrɔːrɪŋ ˈtreɪd/ [verb phrase] British
if a shop or a person that sells a particular type of goods is doing a roaring trade, they are selling large quantities of goods because a lot of people suddenly want to buy them :
▪ Since the heatwave started, ice cream vendors have been doing a roaring trade.
do a roaring trade in
▪ The shops outside the station were doing a roaring trade in umbrellas.
13. when all of something has been sold
▷ sell out /ˌsel ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a shop, ticket office etc sells out of goods or tickets, or if goods or tickets sell out, all of them are sold so there are no more available :
▪ I went to the store to get some bread but they had sold out.
▪ Sunday newspapers often sell out by 10 o'clock.
sell out of
▪ They opened at 8 o'clock, and by 8.30 they had sold out of tickets for the big game.
be sold out
when all the tickets for a performance or sports event have been sold
▪ We couldn’t get tickets anywhere - the show was completely sold out.
▷ be a sell-out /biː ə ˈsel aʊt/ [verb phrase]
if a play, football game, concert etc is a sell-out, it is very popular and all the tickets for it have been sold :
▪ The band’s European tour was a sell-out.
sell-out crowd
▪ The Mariners beat the Angels in front of a sell-out crowd.
▷ be out of stock /biː ˌaʊt əv ˈstɒkǁ-ˈstɑːk/ [verb phrase]
if a product or the shop selling the product is out of stock, the shop does not have any of that product available now, because they have sold all of it :
▪ The scooters are popular and are often out of stock.
▪ We’re out of stock, but we can put one on order for you.
▷ be booked up/fully booked /biː ˌbʊkt ˈʌp, ˌfʊli ˈbʊkt/ [verb phrase]
if a hotel, restaurant, or organized trip somewhere is booked up or fully booked, all the places have been bought and there are no more available :
▪ Flights to the US are all booked up this time of year.
▪ Popular campsites are fully booked on weekends for most of the summer.
▪ All the hotels in the area are booked up months in advance.