English Explanatory Dictionary

sell

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.
  2. To be sold.
  3. To promote (a product or service) although not being paid in any direct way or at all.
  4. To promote (a particular viewpoint).
  5. To betray for money or other things.
  6. To trick, cheat, or manipulate someone.
  7. To pretend that an opponent's blows or maneuvers are causing legitimate injury; to act.
  8. To throw under the bus; to let down one's own team in an endeavour, especially in a sport or a game.
noun
  1. An act of selling; sale.
  2. The promotion of an idea for acceptance.
  3. An easy task.
  4. An imposition, a cheat; a hoax; a disappointment; anything occasioning a loss of pride or dignity.
noun
  1. A seat or stool.
  2. A saddle.
noun
  1. A rope (usually for tying up cattle, but can also mean any sort of rope).
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/sɛl/ en-us-sell.ogg

Word forms

sell sells selling sold selle

Etymology

From Middle English sellen, from Old English sellan (“give; give up for money”), from Proto-West Germanic *salljan, from Proto-Germanic *saljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁-. Cognates Cognate with Scots sell (“to sell”), Danish sælge (“to sell”), Faroese, Icelandic selja (“to sell”), Norwegian Bokmål selge (“to sell”), Norwegian Nynorsk selja, selje (“to sell”), Swedish sälja (“to sell”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (saljan, “to pay tribute, make an offer”).

Synonyms

cheap flog hawk monger peddle retail sell vend sell the pass sell down the river sell out assfuck betray burn cop out cross out cross up double-cross do someone dirty do the dirty on false go back on knife let down play someone false quisle renegade sell down stab in the back swike traitorize turncoat

Antonyms

buy barter purchase aby cheap procure snap up

Related words

sale

Derived words

backsell buy low, sell high buy when it snows sell when it goes cold sell cost of goods sold cross-sell don't sell the skin till you have caught the bear hand-sell hard-sell I have a bridge to sell you long sell missell mis-sell no-sell onsell outsell oversell panic sell presell price to sell proverbs should be sold in pairs resell sellability sellable sell against the box sell away sell bargains sell-by date sell by the candle sell coals to Newcastle sell coal to Newcastle sell dearly sell down sell down the river sellee sell freezers to Eskimos sell ice to Eskimos sell in May …and go away …and stay away …then go away sell like hot cakes sell like hotcakes sell off sell-off sell on sell one's ass sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage sell one's body sell oneself sell oneself short sell one's life dearly sell one's own grandmother sell one's soul sell one's soul to the devil sell order sell out from under sell out sell-out sell past the close
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