sell
sell — verb
1. to let someone take an item, product, or service that you own and receive money
to let someone take an item, product, or service that you own and receive money from them in return
Selim sold his old motorcycle to a neighbour for NT$15,000.
sell + object + to + someone + for + price
The bakery on Green Street sells fresh bread every morning before nine.
present tense for routine business description
Amira sold her aunt a beautiful hand-woven scarf at the market.
ditransitive: sell + indirect object + direct object
The Watanabe family sold their restaurant to a young chef from Osaka.
Our team sold over eight hundred tickets before the concert weekend.
sell + quantity (units sold)
- sell goods
- sell property
- sell tickets
- sell shares
- sell a product
Grammar Patterns
sell + object
sell + indirect object + direct object
sell + object + to + someone
sell + for/at + price
Usage Note
Ditransitive structure (sell someone something) is common: My friend sold me his camera. In passive voice, both objects can become subjects: He was sold a fake watch.
Common Mistakes
2. to be purchased by people — describes the rate, price, or speed at which custome
to be purchased by people — describes the rate, price, or speed at which customers buy something
Joaquín's new cookbook is selling very well across Taiwan.
intransitive: sell + adverb describing market performance
These handmade wool scarves sell for around NT$800 each.
sell + for + price
The limited edition trainers sold out within three hours online.
phrasal verb: sell out (entire stock bought)
Fresh local vegetables sell quickly at the morning market each day.
Kemi's pottery sells at a higher price in city galleries than in village shops.
sell + at + location + price comparison
- sell well
- sell quickly
- sell badly
- sell slowly
- sell like hot cakes
Grammar Patterns
sell + adverb (well/quickly/badly)
sell + for/at + price
sell + in + quantities
Usage Note
Commonly used with adverbs of degree (sell well / sell badly) and price phrases (sell for / sell at). The subject is the item being bought, not the seller.
Common Mistakes
3. to create enough interest in a product or service that people choose to buy it,
to create enough interest in a product or service that people choose to buy it, often through presentation, advertising, or reputation
A celebrity endorsement can really help sell a new perfume brand quickly.
abstract subject (endorsement) + sell + product
The elegant packaging sells the chocolate before customers even taste it.
inanimate subject (packaging) + sell + object
Positive online reviews sell far more books than any poster advertisement can.
Cole's friendly and patient manner helped sell three cars that afternoon.
person's manner/quality + sell + quantity + product
- sell a product
- sell a brand
- help sell
- the name sells
- the look sells
Grammar Patterns
sell + product
subject (advertising/packaging/reputation) + sell + object
Usage Note
Often used with an inanimate subject that explains WHY a product sells: The location sells the house. The taste sells the drink. Not used with a direct human buyer as indirect object (unlike sense 1).
4. to persuade a person or group to accept an idea, proposal, or plan as good or wo
to persuade a person or group to accept an idea, proposal, or plan as good or worth supporting
Eitan tried to sell the board of directors on his plan to expand into Southeast Asia.
sell + someone + on + proposal
Min knows how to sell an investment idea to a room full of cautious bankers.
sell + abstract object + to + audience
The manager sold the new overtime policy to staff by focusing on the extra pay.
Asher could not sell his proposal to the committee despite hours of preparation.
negative form: could not sell + object + to + group
- sell an idea
- sell a plan
- sell a vision
- sell a proposal
- deter
to discourage someone from accepting an idea or plan
Grammar Patterns
sell + someone + on + something
sell + object + to + someone
Usage Note
Object is typically an abstract noun: idea, vision, proposal, policy, plan. The preposition 'on' introduces the topic (sell someone on something); 'to' introduces the audience (sell something to someone).
Common Mistakes
5. to betray a person, group, or principle in exchange for money, power, or another
to betray a person, group, or principle in exchange for money, power, or another personal advantage
The army officer was caught selling classified documents to a foreign intelligence agency.
sell + secrets/documents + to + foreign power
Saira refused to sell her principles for a quick promotion in the company.
sell + abstract noun (principles/values) + for + reward
Voters accused the senator of selling out working families to big corporations.
Indra felt that signing the unfair contract would sell his professional values.
reflexive: sell one's values/principles
Historians say the fortress commander sold his city to the enemy for a bag of gold.
- sell secrets
- sell your soul
- sell your principles
- sell your country
- sell someone out
- betray
stronger and more direct; to be disloyal to someone who trusts you
- rat out
informal; to tell the authorities about someone's wrongdoing
- double-cross
to deceive someone who believes they are working with you
Grammar Patterns
sell + someone/something + for + reward
sell + principles/values/loyalty
Usage Note
Strongly negative connotation. Often used with reflexive or possessive constructions: sell yourself, sell your soul, sell your country. Avoid confusing with sense 1 — the object here is a trust relationship, not a product.
Common Mistakes
be sold out
phrasal verbTo have no more items left to sell because all have been bought.
The concert tickets were sold out within an hour.
Is the new book already sold out at the store?
sell off
phrasal verbTo sell something quickly, often at a low price, to get rid of it.
The company had to sell off its old inventory to make space.
They sold off their furniture before moving abroad.
sell on
phrasal verbTo sell something that you have bought to someone else.
He bought the painting and later sold it on for a profit.
She sold on her concert tickets when she couldn't attend.
sell out
phrasal verbTo sell all of something; also, to abandon one's principles for money or gain.
The bakery sold out of croissants by noon.
Many fans felt the band sold out when they signed a big contract.
sell up
phrasal verbTo sell your business or property, usually to move or retire.
After thirty years, the owner decided to sell up and retire.
They sold up their house and moved to a smaller apartment.
be sold on something
idiomTo be very excited or convinced about an idea or plan.
Maya was completely sold on the new marketing strategy.
Are you sold on moving to another country for work?
To be bought very quickly and in large numbers.
The limited edition sneakers sold like hot cakes online.
Her homemade cookies went like hot cakes at the fair.
sell your body
idiomTo have sex in exchange for money.
Desperate for cash, he considered selling his body.
She never imagined she would have to sell her body to survive.
To betray someone who trusted you, often for personal gain.
The manager sold his team down the river to get a promotion.
Diego felt his partner sold him down the river by revealing secrets.
sell off the farm
idiomTo sell a country's assets, like land or property, to foreign buyers.
The government continues to sell off the farm to international investors.
Critics argue that selling off the farm harms the national economy.
To sell or buy something that is worthless or overpriced.
The dealer sold him a pup by claiming the car was in perfect condition.
She realized she had bought a pup when the laptop stopped working.
To underestimate the value or ability of someone or yourself.
Don't sell yourself short; you are more qualified than you think.
The coach sold the player short by not letting him play.
To do anything, even immoral acts, for money, success, or power.
He sold his soul to the devil to become a famous actor.
Some politicians sell their souls for campaign donations.
sell — noun
1. used to describe how easy or difficult it is to persuade someone to buy somethin
used to describe how easy or difficult it is to persuade someone to buy something or accept an idea — most common in the fixed phrases a hard sell, an easy sell, and a tough sell
The proposal to raise parking fees was a hard sell for the town council.
a hard sell (something difficult to persuade others about)
Shirin's homemade cakes are an easy sell at the weekly farmers' market.
an easy sell (something that people accept or buy readily)
The sales team gave the new software the hard sell at the tech conference.
give + object + the hard sell (aggressive persuasion)
Convincing investors to fund a small organic farm was a tough sell for Tuan.
a tough sell (very difficult to convince)
- a hard sell
- an easy sell
- a tough sell
- a quick sell
- give something the hard sell
- a surprisingly hard sell
- easy sell
collocation that can replace a phrase with easy sell
- tough sell
synonymous with hard sell, equally common
- persuasion
the general concept, not limited to fixed phrases
Grammar Patterns
a hard sell
an easy sell
a tough sell
a quick sell
give something the hard sell
Usage Note
The noun sell is almost always singular and appears in fixed phrases: a hard sell (difficult), an easy sell (easy), and a tough sell (very difficult). Unlike the verb sell, this noun does not refer to the act of selling itself — use sale for that meaning. Give something the hard sell means to promote it very aggressively.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All five words involve transferring goods for money, but they differ in context and formality. Sell is the general, everyday word for any exchange of items for payment; you can sell a house, a phone, or a service. Vend is more formal and typically used for selling through machines or at a small stall — a vending machine sells snacks, a vendor sells flowers at a market stand. Retail means selling goods directly to the public, usually in small quantities; it contrasts with wholesale. Auction is a specific method where items go to the highest bidder. Market is broader: it covers the whole process of promoting and selling a product, not just the transaction itself. For example, you market a new phone through advertising, then you sell it in stores, a shop retails it to customers, and a street vendor vends phone cases on the corner.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'sell' comes from Old English 'sellan', which originally meant 'to give, hand over, or deliver'. Over time, the meaning shifted from simply giving something to giving it in exchange for payment — a change that reflects how trade became a central part of daily life. The modern sense of 'persuading someone to accept an idea' developed in the early 1900s from the commercial meaning.