SELL • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • 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.)

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Etymology of 'Sell'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Sell" Quotes from Famous Books

... where my few worldly possessions, including my dress clothes, my amputating set, and such of my books as I had not been able to sell, were awaiting disposition. "Very ...

— The After House • Mary Roberts Rinehart

... little income, and Migwan, setting her teeth bravely, drew the remainder of her college money from the bank to pay the hospital and surgeon's bills. Then she set to work with redoubled zeal to write something which would sell. So far everything she had sent out had come back promptly. For a long time certain advertisements in the magazines had been holding her attention. They read something like this: "Write Moving Picture Plays. Bring $50 to $100 each. We teach you how by an infallible method. Anybody can do ...

— The Camp Fire Girls at School • Hildegard G. Frey

... buyin' the Shores baby outfit," she said. "I guess Mr. Shores 'll be glad to sell it cheap. They say 't he can't bear to be reminded o' the baby, 'n' I don't well see what else the crib 'n' the baby carriage ...

— Susan Clegg and Her Friend Mrs. Lathrop • Anne Warner

... once considerable store—the bracelet that was in the hands of M. Guldenthal, and a diamond ring that he wore on his finger. He decided that, before quitting Chur, he would borrow money on this ring, or that he would try to sell it. ...

— Samuel Brohl & Company • Victor Cherbuliez

... of primary and technical education the peasants have become well acquainted with the science of agriculture, and are always ready to undertake in common the necessary improvements. They no longer exhaust the soil by exporting the grain, but sell merely certain technical products containing no mineral ingredients. For this purpose the Communes possess distilleries, starch-works, and the like, and the soil thereby retains its original fertility. ...

— Russia • Donald Mackenzie Wallace

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