seller

seller — noun

1. a person or business that gives ownership of a product or service to a buyer in

1.nounA2
Definition

a person or business that gives ownership of a product or service to a buyer in exchange for money

Example

The seller agreed to lower the price by ten percent.

Paul asked the seller whether the sofa had been used before.

seller + whether-clause for inquiring about goods

Common collocations
  • street seller
  • market seller
  • online seller
  • book seller
  • wine seller
  • original seller
  • previous seller
Synonyms
  • vendor

    more formal than seller; often used for licensed or registered sellers

  • merchant

    usually a business owner trading in bulk or a specific type of goods

  • retailer

    sells products directly to the public, not to other businesses

  • dealer

    often associated with cars, art, or illegal goods; implies a professional trader

Antonyms
  • buyer

    the person or business that purchases from a seller

  • customer

    the person who buys a product or service

Grammar Patterns

seller + of + [product]

seller + on + [platform]

Usage Note

Seller can refer to either an individual (e.g., a street vendor) or an organisation (e.g., a company). The counterpart of seller is buyer. In legal documents, seller often appears in the paired expression buyer and seller.

Common Mistakes

I bought this at a seller near the station.
I bought this from a seller near the station.
seller refers to a person or business, not a physical location; use from a seller or at a shop.
The seller of this book is very high this year.
This book has sold very well this year.
seller as a person does not describe sales volume; for that meaning, use the second sense of seller or the verb sell.

2. a product that is bought in large amounts by many customers, usually because it

2.nounB1
Definition

a product that is bought in large amounts by many customers, usually because it is popular or of good quality

Example

This novel has been a top seller in bookstores across the country.

modifier: top seller

The new phone model quickly became the biggest seller in the electronics store.

Common collocations
  • big seller
  • top seller
  • best seller
  • steady seller
  • fast seller
  • good seller
  • popular seller
Synonyms
  • bestseller

    most common for books and media; often written as one word

  • hit

    informal; used for movies, songs, or entertainment products

  • crowd-pleaser

    informal; suggests wide appeal and enjoyment

Antonyms
  • flop

    informal; a product that nobody buys or that fails commercially

Grammar Patterns

[adjective] + seller

[be] + a + [adjective] + seller

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used with an adjective modifier (big seller, top seller, best seller, steady seller). The compound best seller is often written as one word: bestseller. Distinguish this sense from sense 1: a bestseller is a product, not a person.

Common Mistakes

This phone is a seller.' (too vague)
This phone is a top seller.
this sense requires a modifier such as big, top, or best to convey the meaning clearly.
The seller of this product is very good.' (when meaning it sells well)
This product is a good seller.
use the product as the subject with an adjective modifier, not the person sense.
Idioms

seller's market

idiom

a market situation in which sellers have an advantage because demand is higher than supply, so they can charge higher prices

With so few houses available, it was definitely a seller's market in the city.

Used car prices went up during the seller's market after the storm.

a seller’s market

idiom

A market condition where sellers can charge higher prices because there are more buyers than available goods.

Maya sold her old car quickly in a seller’s market.

Is it a seller’s market for houses in your town right now?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone who sells things, but each carries a different flavour. Vendor is the closest formal equivalent to seller and often appears in legal, tax, or marketplace contexts ('street vendor,' 'software vendor'). Merchant historically refers to a trader dealing in large quantities of a particular good, especially in wholesale or international trade, and has a slightly old-fashioned tone. Retailer is specific to businesses that sell directly to the public — you would call a supermarket chain a retailer but not a single stall holder. Dealer implies professional trading of a specific product category ('car dealer,' 'antique dealer,' 'art dealer'), and in some contexts it also carries a negative connotation ('drug dealer'). When in doubt, seller or vendor are the safest, most neutral choices. For example: 'The street vendor sold dumplings every morning,' but 'The car dealer offered a two-year warranty.'

vendor ↗merchant ↗retailer ↗dealer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • market seller
  • street seller
  • online seller
  • book seller
  • wine seller

Phrases

Prepositions

  • seller of [product]
  • seller on [platform]
  • from [a/the] seller
  • by [the] seller

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Seller comes from the Old English word sellere, meaning 'one who gives or hands over something.' The root sellan meant 'to give, to hand over,' and over time it shifted to 'to exchange for money.' The modern spelling and meaning were established by the 1300s in Middle English.