- sell
- sell [sel]vt.sold, selling [ME sellen < OE sellan, to give, offer, akin to Goth saljan, to offer (sacrifice): caus. formation in sense “to cause to take” < IE base * sel-, to take, grasp > SALE, Gr helein, to take]1. to give up, deliver, or exchange (property, goods, services, etc.) for money or its equivalent2.a) to have or offer regularly for sale; deal in [a store that sells hardware, to sell real estate]b) to make or try to make sales in or to [to sell chain stores]3.a) to give up or deliver (a person) to his or her enemies or into slavery, bondage, etc.b) to be a traitor to; betray (a country, cause, etc.)4. to give up or dispose of (one's honor, one's vote, etc.) for profit or a dishonorable purpose5. to bring about, help in, or promote, the sale of [television sells many products ]☆ 6. Informala) to establish faith, confidence, or belief in [to sell oneself to the public]b) to persuade (someone) of the value of something; convince: with on [sell him on the idea]7. Slang to cheat or dupevi.1. to exchange property, goods, or services for money, etc.2. to work or act as a salesman or salesclerk3. to be sold; attract buyers: often used with reference to the rate of sale [to sell well, poorly, etc.]4. to be sold (for or at) [belts selling for six dollars]5. Informal to be accepted, approved, etc. [a scheme that won't sell]n.1. Slang a trick or hoax☆ 2. selling or salesmanship: cf. HARD SELL, SOFT SELL——————sell offto get rid of by selling, esp. at low prices——————sell oneself1. to exchange one's services for a price, esp. for a dishonorable purpose, as for prostitution☆ 2. Informal to convince another of one's worth——————sell out1. to get rid of completely by selling☆ 2. Informal to betray (one's associates, cause, country, etc.)☆ 3. Informal to give up or be unfaithful to one's artistic aspirations or moral principles so as to achieve success, financial gain, etc.——————☆ sell short1. to sell securities, etc. not yet owned: see SHORT SALE2. to value at less than its worth; underestimate——————sell up Brit.to sell all of (the land or household goods) of (a debtor) so as to satisfy his or her debtsSYN.- SELL implies a transferring of the ownership of something to another for money [to sell books, a house, etc. ]; BARTER implies an exchange of goods or services without using money [to barter food for clothes ]; TRADE, in transitive use, also implies the exchange of articles [let's trade neckties ], and, intransitively, implies the carrying on of a business in which one buys and sells a specified commodity [to trade in wheat ]; AUCTION implies the public sale of items one by one, each going to the highest of the competing bidders [to auction off unclaimed property ]; VEND applies especially to the selling of small articles, as by peddling, slot machine, etc. [vending machines ] -ANT. BUY
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.