Sell

Definition: Sell

Sell

Noun

1. The activity of persuading someone to buy; "it was a hard sell".

Verb

1. Exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent; "He sold his house in January"; "She sells her body to survive and support her drug habit".

2. Be sold at a certain price or in a certain way: "These books sell like hot cakes".

3. Do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood; "She deals in gold"; "The brothers sell shoes".

4. Persuade somebody to accept something; "The French try to sell us their image as great lovers".

5. Give up for a price or reward: "She sold her principles for a successful career".

6. Deliver to an enemy by treachery; "Judas sold Jesus"; "The spy betrayed his country".

7. Be approved of or gain acceptance; "The new idea sold well in certain circles".

8. Be responsible for the sale of; "All her publicity sold the products".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "sell" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Literature

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Sell

Absurdity

Sell, pun, verbal quibble, macaronic.

Barter

Trade, traffic, buy and sell, give and take, nundinate; carry on a trade, ply a trade, drive a trade; be in business, be in the city; keep a shop, deal in, employ one's capital in.

Speculate, give a sprat to catch a herring; buy in the cheapest and sell in the dearest market, buy low and sell high; corner the market; rig the market, stag the market.

Deception

Decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle; entrap, intrap, ensnare; nick, springe; set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for; bait the hook, forelay, spread the toils, lime; trapan, trepan; kidnap; let in, hook in; nousle, nousel; blind a trail; enmesh, immesh; shanghai; catch, catch in a trap; sniggle, entangle, illaqueate, hocus, escamoter, practice on one's credulity; hum, humbug; gammon, stuff up, sell; play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on; balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale; fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand; make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of, make an ass of; trifle with, cajole, flatter; come over; (influence); gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon; dissemble.

Improbity

Disgrace oneself, dishonor oneself, demean oneself; derogate, stoop, grovel, sneak, lose caste; sell oneself, go over to the enemy; seal one's infamy.

Mart

Verb: speculate, invest, trade, trade stocks, play the market; buy long, sell short, take a position, straddle; take a plunge, plunge in, take a flier.

Price

Fetch, sell for, cost, bring in, yield, afford.

Resistance

Prendre le mors aux dents; sell one's life dearly, die hard, keep at bay; repel, repulse.

Sale

Verb: sell, vend, dispose of, effect a sale; sell over the counter, sell by auction; Noun: dispense, retail; deal in; sell off, sell out; turn into money, realize; bring to the hammer, bring under the hammer, put up to auction, put up for auction; offer for sale, put up for sale; hawk, bring to market; offer; undersell.

Untruth

Invention, fabrication, fiction; fable, nursery tale; romance; (imagination); absurd story, untrue story, false story, trumped up story, trumped up statement; thing devised by the enemy; canard; shave, sell, hum, traveler;s tale, Canterbury tale, fairy tale, fake; claptrap.

Warfare

Carry on war, carry on hostilities; keep the field; fight the good fight; fight it out, fight like devils, fight one's way, fight hand to hand; sell one's life dearly; pay the ferryman's fee.

Crosswords: Sell

Oh well, alright, let's all sell our souls and work for Satan because it's more convenient that way. (American Beauty; writing credit: Alan Ball)

Sell pencils (Singin' in the Rain; writing credit: Betty Comden; Adolph Green)

I've thought about this quite a bit sir and I would have to say considering what's waiting out there for me, I don't want to sell anything, buy anything or process anything as a career (Say Anything; writing credit: Cameron Crowe.)

Than why don't you sell me a buy a rabbit instead (Lilo & Stitch; writing credit: Chris Sanders)

Someone has been attempting to sell the plans of our tracking project to competing world powers; someone intimately associated with the project (The Spy Who Loved Me; writing credit: Christopher Wood)

Bet you'd sell your mother (Wall Street Shuffle; performing artist: 10CC)

I ain't guilty cause, even though I sell rocks (Dear Mama; performing artist: 2Pac)

And sell some gifts that I got (Brick; performing artist: Ben Folds Five)

We sell drugs to children now, oh why can't we just see (I Believe; performing artist: Blessid Union Of Souls)

An angel's smile is what you sell (You Give Love a Bad Name; performing artist: Bon Jovi)

Art is work, to sell it is art. (references; author: unknown)

If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success? (references; author: unknown)

Excuses are the easiest things to manufacture, and the hardest things to sell. (references; author: unknown)

He who has a thing to sell and goes and whispers in a well is not as apt to get the dollars as he who climbs a tree and hollers. (references; author: unknown)

Selfish sharks sell shut shellfish. (references; author: unknown)

I'll Sell My Life (1941)

I Sell Anything (1934)

Sell 'Em Cowboy (1924)

Hard Sell (2002)

Bi & Sell (1990)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• 2003 Guide to Literary Agents: 600+ Agents Who Sell What You Write (Guide to Literary Agents, 2003) (reference)

• Buy It, Fix It, Sell It: Profit! (reference)

• Secrets of VITO: Think and Sell Like a CEO (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Buy Sell (reference)

• Uncle Henrys Swap Or Sell It Guide (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies

• Great Spy Movies (Inside Man/Hangmen/The Sell Out) (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Sell Sell Sell (reference)

• The Who Sell Out [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS] (reference)

• To Sell the Truth (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• ACCY KIT FOR W7200-MUST SELL W/ 624280 (reference)

• STAND ST-21 FOR 7250-MUST SELL W/ 624286 (reference)

• STAND ST-31 FOR W7200-MUST SELL W/ 624280 (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

First attempt at a bathymetric map by Matthew Fontaine Maury Published in The Physical Geography of the Sea Showed vast relatively shoal area in Mid-Atlantic Gave birth to notion of "Telegraphic Plateau" Helped sell Trans-Atlantic telegraphic cable. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Tree rippened orange hand picked to sell as fruit. Credit: USDA.

The Kin-der-Kids]. The Kin-der-Kids sell their whale and Piemouth gets a square mea. Credit: Library of Congress.

They could not eat a pyramid, or wear it, or live in it : not even Pharoaoh could sell it, rent it, liquidate it. Credit: Library of Congress.

"Pat, if yez don't sell that pig he'll soon by outside all we own."--One of the humble homes of County Kerry, Ireland. Credit: Library of Congress.

Auction sales in Greene County are frequent because as farm conditions became worse families move into smaller houses and sell excess furniture. Owensburg, Indiana. Credit: Library of Congress.

Auctioneer trying to sell pitchfork, near Tenstrike, Minnesota. Credit: Library of Congress.

For our aviators--Send us something to melt or sell - gold, silver, plate / F ; Carey Print NY. Credit: Library of Congress.

We sell $10 Liberty Loan certificates [...] Liberty Bonds - do your part to end the war!. Credit: Library of Congress.

For our aviators--Send us something to melt or sell - gold, silver, plate / F ; Carey Print NY. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice. (reference)

I confess, we find among the Jews, as well as other nations, that men did sell themselves; but, it is plain, this was only to drudgery, not to slavery: for, it is evident, the person sold was not under an absolute, arbitrary, despotical power: for the master could not have power to kill him, at any time, whom, at a certain time, he was obliged to let go free out of his service; and the master of such a servant was so far from having an arbitrary power over his life, that he could not, at pleasure, so much as maim him, but the loss of an eye, or tooth, set him free, Exod. (Second Treatise of Government)

These labourers, who must sell themselves piece-meal, are a commodity, like every other article of commerce, and are consequently exposed to all the vicissitudes of competition, to all the fluctuations of the market. (reference)

Any of the inhabitants of the Saar Basin who may desire to leave the territory will have full liberty to retain in it their immovable property or to sell it at fair prices, and to remove their movable property free of any charges. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

And these I do not sell for gold Or coin of silvery shine, But for a copper halfpenny, And that will purchase nine

I shall not sell it to you at a high price

I am a catholic as my father was and his father before him and his father before him again when we gave up our lives rather than sell our faith

Sell the team and the wagon, too.

She then asked my master whether he were willing to sell me at a good price

Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

In foreign countries, drug companies sell chloroquine as a syrup. (references)

Business

Regional dealers then sell to the contractors. (references)

They sell at a low price with a high circulation. (references)

The smaller ricambistis in turn sell to the workshops. (references)

Children

Congo

Many of the street children beg or sell cheap or stolen goods to support themselves. (references)

Dominican Republic

Once involved, they may be held against their will by individuals who sell their sexual favors to others. (references)

Indonesia

Street children sell newspapers, shine shoes, help to park or watch cars, and otherwise attempt to earn money. (references)

Civil Liberties

Azerbaijan

There are a number of Internet service providers and vendors sell accounts. (references)

Kyrgyz Republic

In addition home and apartment owners can sell their property legally only to buyers with such permission. (references)

Libya

Foreign adherents of these religions are allowed to display and sell religious items at bazaars and other gatherings. (references)

Economic History

Costa Rica

Private agents may sell INS policies. (references)

Guatemala

The rest sell directly to Guatemalan buyers. (references)

Israel

It also hopes to sell its remaining holdings in Bank Leumi. (references)

Human Rights

Nicaragua

Furthermore, compensation is paid in 15-year bonds, which sell at about 19 percent of face value. (references)

Pakistan

The NGO asserts that the actual reason for Shafiq's arrest was his refusal to sell land at the request of the influential person. (references)

Ethiopia

Remaining family members were given arbitrary deadlines to sell property and sometimes were subjected to departure taxes based on estimated annual income and unpaid balances on government bank loans. (references)

Minorities

Iraq

Non-Arabs are not permitted to sell their homes except to Arabs, nor to register or inherit property. (references)

Bhutan

Local officials took advantage of the climate of repression to coerce ethnic Nepalese to sell their land below its fair value and to emigrate. (references)

Liberia

Ritual murders for the purpose of obtaining body parts traditionally were committed by religious group members called "heart men." However, since the civil war, common criminals inured to killing also may sell body parts. (references)

Political Economy

JORDAN

Banks may buy or sell an unlimited amount of foreign currency on a forward basis. (references)

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Foreign businesses, except those seeking to sell to the UAE Armed Forces, must have a UAE national sponsor. (references)

MEXICO

These gasoline stations sell only PEMEX lubricants, although other lubricants are manufactured and sold in Mexico. (references)

Trade

Nepal

Promoters can sell their shares and repatriate capital. (references)

Egypt

The exporter can then sell the guarantee to his/her bank. (references)

Poland

A permit is necessary to sell imported alcoholic products. (references)

Travel

Chad

Hotels sell post cards and stamps. (references)

Chad

Women's groups sell embroidered fabrics, tablecloths, and other handmade goods. (references)

Ghana

Located on Sixth Street in Osu, behind Cantonments Rd. They also sell fresh pasta in their shop next door. (references)

Women

Dominica

When the male head of household dies without a will, the wife cannot inherit the property or sell it, although she can live in it and pass it to her children. (references)

Nicaragua

In towns along the Pan American Highway, women and girls sell sexual services to truck drivers and other travelers, who are often foreigners driving north from Costa Rica. (references)

Botswana

A woman married under traditional law or in "common property" is held to be a legal minor, requiring her husband's consent to buy or sell property, apply for credit, and enter into legally binding contracts. (references)

Worker Rights

Bolivia

Urban children sell goods, shine shoes, and assist transport operators. (references)

Nepal

In some cases, parents or relatives sell women and young girls into sexual slavery. (references)

Saint Lucia

Children also typically work in urban food stalls or sell confectionery on sidewalks. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "sell": hard sell ♦ order to sell ♦ re sell ♦ sell again ♦ sell at ♦ sell at a disadvantage ♦ sell at a discount ♦ sell at a loss ♦ sell at a premium ♦ sell at a sacrifice ♦ sell at auction ♦ sell at lost ♦ sell at sale price ♦ sell back ♦ sell by auction ♦ sell by fixed price ♦ sell by wholesale ♦ sell cattle on the hoof ♦ sell dear ♦ sell down the river ♦ sell for ♦ sell for a song ♦ sell for cash ♦ sell goods for cash ♦ sell goods retail ♦ sell in bulk ♦ sell like hot cakes ♦ sell limit order ♦ sell low ♦ sell off ♦ sell off cheap ♦ sell on credit ♦ sell one's life dearly ♦ sell one's soul to the devil ♦ sell oneself ♦ sell out ♦ sell out one's merchandise ♦ sell retail ♦ sell short ♦ sell smb. a gold brick ♦ sell smb. a packet ♦ sell smb. a pup ♦ sell smb. down the river ♦ sell smb. on ♦ sell smth. by auction ♦ sell smth. for scrap ♦ sell the pass ♦ sell to disadvantage ♦ sell to the trade ♦ sell up ♦ sell with high price ♦ soft sell ♦ To sell ♦ To sell bargains ♦ to sell for a fall ♦ to sell for future delivery ♦ to sell for settlement ♦ to sell forward ♦ To sell one's life dearly ♦ To sell out ♦ To sell short. Additional references.

Beginning with "sell": sell-advancement, sell-by, sell-by date, sell-by-date, sell-determination, sell-down, sell-in, sell-off, sell-offs, sell-on, sell-out, sell-outs, Sell-out-tours, sell-preservation, sell-side, sell-through.

Ending with "sell": hard-sell, pre-sell, re-sell.

Containing "sell": pile-'em-high-and-sell-'em-cheap, pretty-face-and-big-tits-to-sell-the-record, well-past-their-sell-by-date.

Afrikaans

verkoop (dispose, dispose of, vend). (various references)

Albanian

shes (bargain away, barter away, betray, dispose of, flog, handle, market, negotiate, realize, vend), reklamoj (advertise, advertize, boost, build up, glamorise, glamorize, glamourize, promote, publicize, push), bëj tregti (deal, trade). (various references)

Arabic 

‏قنع (bring, get smb. to do smth., hide, incline, induce, mask, move, persuade, push through, win over), ‏غش (adulterate, adulteration, bilk, cheat, cheating, copy, debase, deceit, deceive, deception, defraudation, diddle, falsify, fudge, jiggery pokery, nobble, rig, short, sting, swindle), ‏حظي بالقبول (lie), ‏تاجر (commercialize, deal, dealer, mercantile, merchandise, merchant, merchantman, seller, shopkeeper, storekeeper, trade, trader, tradesman, traffic), ‏تباع (snap), ‏خيبة أمل (anticlimax, disappointing, disappointment, frustration, letdown), ‏خدع (bamboozle, beguile, betray, bilk, bitch, bite, blind, bluff, brown, bubble, camouflage, catch, cheat, chisel, con, crook, deceive, deception, decoy, defraud, delude, diddle, do, dupe, entrap, fall for, feint, fiddle, fob, fool, fox, get round, give the lie to, gull, gyp, hoax, hocus pocus, humbug, illusory, impose, intrigue, jape, job, leg pull, lure, mislead, mock, mystify, nick, overreach, pitch, play a trick, pose, prank, pull a fast one, pull his leg, ream, rook, settle his hash, skin, skunk, slang, stick, string along, swank, swindle, take for a ride, take in, trick, victimize, wile), ‏خداعة, ‏روج لبضاعة, ‏باع بسعر محدد, ‏باع (be sold on, clear, market, move, purvey, scrap, vend). (various references)

Aymara

aljhaña (to sell). (various references)

Basque

saldu (sell to). (various references)

Bulgarian 

рекламирам (advertise, advertize, boom, boost, headline, promote, publicize, puff, push, quack), разочарование (chagrin, disappointment, disenchantment, disillusion, disillusionment, frost, letdown, sucks), харча се, вървя (foot, go, gone, move, pass, pike, progress, push on, ride, run, step, track, tread, walk, work), мятам (cast, drive, fling, launch, pitch, put on, send, shaft, shoot, sling, slip over, spoof, swing, throw, toss, tumble about), лансирам (boost, bring out, initiate, launch, push, push forward, put up), продавам се (fetch, go, move, sell out), продавам (dispose of, keep, market, prostitute, sell out, trade off, unload, vend), продажба (sale), похарчвам (dispose of, spend), популяризирам (familiarize, plug, popularize, promote), пласирам (dispose of, market, place, trade off), измамвам (abuse, befool, beguile, catch, chisel, chouse, clip, cross, dash, defraud, diddle, fix, flam, fob, fool, gaff, go back on, green, gull, hijack, kid, mislead, mock, nobble, overreach, play false, pluck, prey, pull a fast one, put across, put on, screw, shaft, short-change, slip over, spoof, swindle, take for a ride, take in, trick, trim), измама (bunco, bunko, cheat, chouse, cozenage, cross, deceit, deception, delusion, do, double cross, double dealing, doubling, dupery, falsity, fiddle, flam, foul play, frame up, fraud, gaff, gag, gouge, guile, gyp, hankey-pankey, hanky panky, have on, hoax, hocus pocus, humbug, imposition, imposture, indirection, jiggery pokery, jockeying, jugglery, kid, lemon, overreach, plant, pretence, put on, rig, rip off, roguery, sellout, sham, shuffle, simulacrum, skin game, spoof, swindle, take in, thimblerig, trickery, twist), изигравам (bamboozle, cheat, con, diddle, do smb., fob, hoodwink, let in, milk, outwit, play out, prey, skin, skunk, suck in, trepan, trick, trim). (various references)

Catalan

vendre (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Chinese 

銷售 (market, sales, to sell), 糶 , 沽 (buy), 游說 (drum up support), 出售 (Sells). (various references)

Czech

zradit (betray, desert, fink, flimflam, rat), zklamání (anticlimax, breach, chagrin, disappointment, letdown, regret), zaprodat (bargain away, sell out), vést obchod, prodat (dispose of, negotiate, realize), prodávat (carry, flog, handle, market, stock, vend). (various references)

Danish

sælge (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Dutch

verhandelen (dispose of, treat, vend), tappen (dispose of, release, vend), overdoen (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Esperanto

vendi (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Faeroese

selja (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Farsi 

فروختن (Hawk, Market, Vend), فروش ومعامله , بفروش رفتن . (various references)

Finnish

myydä (dispose of, vend). (various references)

French

vendre, vendez. (various references)

Frisian

ferkeapje (dispose of, vend). (various references)

German

verkaufen (dispose of, hawk, market, part with, peddle, prostitute, prostitution, purvey, redeem, sale, sell off, selling, to sale, to sell, to sell (sold, vend). (various references)

Greek 

πωλώ (vend), πωλούμαι, πουλώ (have steady sale), εκποιώ (dispose of, sell up). (various references)

Guarani

revendese (do you want to sell), revende (you sell), noñevendéi (it is not to sell). (various references)

Haitian Creole

vann. (various references)

Hebrew 

מכירה (sale, vendition), למכור (deliver up, retail, sale, vend), לסחור (bargain, barter, deal, negotiate, trade, traffic), רמאות (bluff, cheat, cheating, deceit, deception, double cross, double dealing, dupery, fraud, jiggery pokery, knavery, skullduggery, swindle, trickery). (various references)

Hungarian

elad (dispose of, give away, negotiate, prostitute, sale, to merchandise, to negotiate, to turn into money, to vend, vend), árul (dispose of, sold, to sell, to vend, vend). (various references)

Icelandic

selja (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Indonesian

menjual, melego, melariskan (popularize, stimulate the sell of). (various references)

Irish

díol. (various references)

Italian

vendere (deal in, dispose, dispose of, sale, vend). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

捌 (break, deal with, dispose of, drain, flow off, handle, tear). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

さばき (break, deal with, decision, dispose of, drain, flow off, handle, judgment, tear, tribunal, verdict). (various references)

Korean 

인기 상품 (Sells). (various references)

Manx

creck (dispose, peddle, sale, vend). (various references)

Maya

kon (to sell). (various references)

Mohawk

-tenhninons (to sell). (various references)

Norwegian

selge (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Occitan

vendre. (various references)

Papiamen

bende (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Pig Latin

ellsay.(various references)

Polish

sprzedawać (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Portuguese

vender (dispose of, keep, negotiate, truck, vend). (various references)

Portuguese Brazilian

vendemos (we sell). (various references)

Romanian

se vinde (move), vinde (barter away, betray, keep, market, realize), pãcãli (cheat, deceive, diddle, do, dupe, fool, gammon, get, gull, hoax, hocus, hornswoggle, kid, let in, lime, nobble, outflank, outsmart, outwit, Spruce, stuff, trick, trump, twist), pãcãlealã (dupery, farce, hoax, joke, leg pull), gheşeft (bargain, business, swindle, take in), face comerţ (deal in, handle, truck), decepţie (balk, disappointment, set back), da (accord, administer, afford, avail, beat, bestow, bind, deal, deliver, deliver up, extend, fetch, find, gift, give, give away, grant, hallo, hand, inflict, launch, lend, offer, pass, pay, push, reach, render, restore, return, send, set, sound, sprout, yea, yes, yield), şmecherie (art, artfulness, artifice, chouse, contrivance, craft, cunning, depth, do, dodge, fetch, fiddle, slyness, swindle, trickery). (various references)

Romansch

vender (to sell). (various references)

Romany

bikenàva (to sell). (various references)

Russian 

продать (dispose of, vend), продавать (carry, dispose of, realize, sells, sold, vend, vending). (various references)

Scottish

reic (dispose of, selling, vend). (various references)

Sepedi

rekia
a (to sell). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

uveriti (assure, convince), prodavati se, prodavati (vend), prodati (dispose, dispose of, market, merchandise, sell up). (various references)

Shona

-tengesa (to sell). (various references)

Spanish

vender (dispose of, hive off, market, place, trade, trade up, vend). (various references)

Sranan

seri (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Swazi

kú-tsengísa (to sell). (various references)

Swedish

sälja (dispose of, flog, hawk, issue, sell up, transfer, vend), avyttra (dispose of, move, realize, vend), försälja (dispose of, vend). (various references)

Turkish

satmak (dispose of, give the game away, market, offload, push off, resell, sell smb. down the river, unload, vend). (various references)

Turkmen 

satynalmak, satmak (betray). (various references)

Ukrainian