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   Sell

   /sel/

   

   verb

   • 1. give or hand over (something) in exchange for money: "they had sold the car" Similar dispose ofget rid ofvendauction (off)put up for saleoffer for saleput on saletradebarterexchangepart-exchangegive in part-exchangeOpposite buy
   • ▪ have a stock of (something) available for sale: "the store sells hi-fis, TVs, videos, and other electrical goods" Similar trade indeal inbe in the business oftraffic instockcarryoffer for salehandlepeddlehawkretailmarketadvertisepromote
   • ▪ be purchased in specified amounts or for a specified price: "the album sold 6 million copies in the United States" Similar be boughtbe purchasedgosell like hot cakesmovebe in demandbe priced atsell atretail atgo forbebe found forbe trading atcost
   • ▪ sell all of one's stock of something: "they had nearly sold out of the initial run of 75,000 copies"
   • ▪ be all sold: "it was clear that the performances would not sell out"
   • ▪ (of a product) be purchased by a customer from a retail outlet.
   • ▪ sell all of one's property, possessions, or assets: British "Ernest sold up and retired"
   • ▪ have sex in exchange for money: "if she was going to sell herself then it would be as well not to come too cheap"
   • ▪ abandon one's principles for reasons of expedience: "the prime minister has come under fire for selling out to the United States"
   • ▪ betray someone for one's own benefit: "the clansmen became tenants and the chiefs sold them out"
   • ▪ offer (something) dishonorably for money or other reward: archaic "do not your lawyers sell all their practice, as your priests their prayers?"
   • 2. persuade someone of the merits of: "he sold the idea of making a film about Tchaikovsky" Similar persuade someone to acceptconvince someone of the merits oftalk someone intobring someone around towin someone over toget acceptance forwin approval forget support forget acrosspromote
   • ▪ be the reason for (something) being bought: "what sells CDs to most people is convenience"
   • ▪ cause (someone) to become enthusiastic about: "I'm just not sold on the idea" Similar persuade someone to acceptconvince someone of the merits oftalk someone intobring someone around towin someone over toget acceptance forwin approval forget support forget acrosspromote
   • 3. trick or deceive (someone): archaic "what we want is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the rest of the town"

   noun

   • 1. an act of selling or attempting to sell something: "the excitement of scientific achievement is too subtle a sell to stir the public"
   • 2. a disappointment, typically one arising from being deceived as to the merits of something: British "actually, Hawaii's a bit of a sell—not a patch on Corfu"

   Word Origin Old Englishsellan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse selja ‘give up, sell’. Early use included the sense ‘give, hand (something) over voluntarily in response to a request’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. sellable adjective

   Scrabble Points: 4

   • S

     1

   • E

     1

   • L

     1

   • L

     1

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