SELL • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Sell

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/sɛl/ Listen

verb

Sell v. t. (past & past part. sold; pres. part. selling)

To transfer to another for an equivalent; to give up for a valuable consideration; to dispose of in return for something, especially for money. It is the correlative of buy. "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor." "I am changed; I'll go sell all my land." Note: Sell is corellative to buy, as one party buys what the other sells. It is distinguished usually from exchange or barter, in which one commodity is given for another; whereas in selling the consideration is usually money, or its representative in current notes.

To make a matter of bargain and sale of; to accept a price or reward for, as for a breach of duty, trust, or the like; to betray. "You would have sold your king to slaughter."

To impose upon; to trick; to deceive; to make a fool of; to cheat. (Slang)

To sell one's life dearly, to cause much loss to those who take one's life, as by killing a number of one's assailants.

To sell (anything) out, to dispose of it wholly or entirely; as, he had sold out his corn, or his interest in a business.

Sell v. i. (past & past part. sold; pres. part. selling)

To practice selling commodities. "I will buy with you, sell with you;... but I will not eat with you."

To be sold; as, corn sells at a good price.

To sell out, to sell one's whole stock in trade or one's entire interest in a property or a business.

noun

Sell n. Self. (Obs. or Scot.)

Sell n. A sill. (Obs.)

Sell n. A cell; a house. (Obs.)

Sell n.

A saddle for a horse. (Obs.) "He left his lofty steed with golden self."

A throne or lofty seat. (Obs.)

Sell n. An imposition; a cheat; a hoax. (Colloq.)

See images of 'Sell'

Etymology of 'Sell'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Sell" Quotes from Famous Books

... these affairs," he cried. "Do you fancy you are the first couple who failed to provide a ring? Ah me! When I was quite a boy in the cloth I learnt the necessity of keeping rings in stock, so a jeweler friend of mind replenishes my store, and, when I sell one, I apply a small profit to a favorite charity of mine. The wearing of a wedding ring has no legal significance, but it is a fine old custom, and should be preserved. Among the Romans the ring was a pledge, pignus, that the betrothal contract would ...

— One Wonderful Night - A Romance of New York • Louis Tracy

... laying out his plans: he would open a shop in the quarter, an excellent quarter for his business, as it was full of purchasers, and of makers of wretched gloves at five francs. He would soon add a line of perfumery and cravats to his gloves; and then, when he had made a tidy sum, he would sell out and take a fine shop on ...

— Germinie Lacerteux • Edmond and Jules de Goncourt

... twilight while we were in Auld Reekie, we found our way to 17 Heriot Row—famous address, which had long been as familiar to us as our own. I think we expected to find a tablet on the house commemorating the beloved occupant; but no; to our surprise it was dark, dusty, and tenantless. A sign TO SELL was prominent. To take the name of the agent was easy. A great thought struck us. Could we not go over the house in the character of prospective purchasers? Mifflin and I went back to our smoking room and concocted a genteel letter to Messrs. Guild and Shepherd, ...

— Shandygaff • Christopher Morley

... that this house is infected with the contagion of venality, that our honour is become an empty name, and that the examples of our ancestors have no other effect upon us than to raise the price of perfidy, and enable us to sell our country at a ...

— The Works of Samuel Johnson, Vol. 11. - Parlimentary Debates II. • Samuel Johnson

... eight or nine year old trees. Ours have not done as well as that. The price of course ranges like the price of all other nuts. They sold last year for 75 cents a pound here in Washington. The kernels sell for $1.50. ...

— Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Eleventh Annual Meeting - Washington, D. C. October 7 AND 8, 1920 • Various

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