verb, sold, sell⋅ing, noun | 1. | to transfer (goods) to or render (services) for another in exchange for money; dispose of to a purchaser for a price: He sold the car to me for $1000. |
| 2. | to deal in; keep or offer for sale: He sells insurance. This store sells my favorite brand. |
| 3. | to make a sale or offer for sale to: He'll sell me the car for $1000. |
| 4. | to persuade or induce (someone) to buy something: The salesman sold me on a more expensive model than I wanted. |
| 5. | to persuade or induce someone to buy (something): The clerk really sold the shoes to me by flattery. |
| 6. | to make sales of: The hot record sold a million copies this month. |
| 7. | to cause to be accepted, esp. generally or widely: to sell an idea to the public. |
| 8. | to cause or persuade to accept; convince: to sell the voters on a candidate. |
| 9. | to accept a price for or make a profit of (something not a proper object for such action): to sell one's soul for political power. |
| 10. | to force or exact a price for: The defenders of the fort sold their lives dearly. |
| 11. | Informal. to cheat, betray, or hoax. |
| 12. | to engage in selling something. |
| 13. | to be on sale. |
| 14. | to offer something for sale: I like this house—will they sell? |
| 15. | to be employed to persuade or induce others to buy, as a salesperson or a clerk in a store: One sister is a cashier and the other sells. |
| 16. | to have a specific price; be offered for sale at the price indicated (fol. by at or for): Eggs used to sell at sixty cents a dozen. This shirt sells for thirty dollars. |
| 17. | to be in demand by buyers: On a rainy day, umbrellas really sell. |
| 18. | to win acceptance, approval, or adoption: Here's an idea that'll sell. |
| 19. | sell (someone) a bill of goods. bill of goods (def. 3). |
| 20. | an act or method of selling. |
| 21. | Stock Exchange. a security to be sold. |
| 22. | Informal. a cheat; hoax. |
| 23. | sell off, to sell, esp. at reduced prices, in order to get rid of: The city is selling off a large number of small lots at public auction. |
| 24. | sell out,
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| 25. | sell up, British. to sell out: She was forced to sell up her entire stock of crystal. |
| 26. | sell short. short (def. 50). |

sell out
sell out
Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company, or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago. [Late 1700s]
Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side. [Slang; late 1800s]