Word Study
sell
CIDE DICTIONARY
sell, n.
Self. B. Jonson. [1913 Webster]
sell, n.
A sill. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
sell, n.
A cell; a house. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
sell, n. [F. selle, L. sella, akin to sedere to sit. See Sit.].
- A saddle for a horse. [1913 Webster]"He left his lofty steed with golden self." [1913 Webster]
- A throne or lofty seat. Fairfax. [1913 Webster]
sell, v. t. [OE. sellen, sillen, AS. sellan, syllan, to give, to deliver; akin to OS. sellian, OFries. sella, OHG. sellen, Icel. selja to hand over, to sell, Sw. sälja to sell, Dan. s, Goth. saljan to offer a sacrifice; all from a noun akin to E. sale. Cf. Sale.].
- 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 . [1913 Webster]" 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." [1913 Webster]"If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor." [1913 Webster]"I am changed; I'll go sell all my land." [1913 Webster] - 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. [1913 Webster]"You would have sold your king to slaughter." [1913 Webster]
- To impose upon; to trick; to deceive; to make a fool of; to cheat. Dickens. [1913 Webster]
sell, v. i.
- To practice selling commodities. [1913 Webster]"I will buy with you, sell with you; . . . but I will not eat with you." [1913 Webster]
- To be sold; as, corn sells at a good price. [1913 Webster]
sell, n.
An imposition; a cheat; a hoax. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
sell, v. & n.
--v. (past and past part. sold)
1 tr. make over or dispose of in exchange for money.
2 tr. keep a stock of for sale or be a dealer in (do you sell candles?).
3 intr. (of goods) be purchased (will never sell; these are selling well).
4 intr. (foll. by at, for) have a specified price (sells at {pound}5).
5 tr. betray for money or other reward (sell one's country).
6 tr. offer dishonourably for money or other consideration; make a matter of corrupt bargaining (sell justice; sell oneself; sell one's honour).
7 tr. a advertise or publish the merits of. b give (a person) information on the value of something, inspire with a desire to buy or acquire or agree to something.
8 tr. cause to be sold (the author's name alone will sell many copies).
9 tr. sl. disappoint by not keeping an engagement etc., by failing in some way, or by trickery (sold again!).
--n. colloq.
1 a manner of selling (soft sell).
2 a deception or disappointment.
--v. (past and past part. sold)
1 tr. make over or dispose of in exchange for money.
2 tr. keep a stock of for sale or be a dealer in (do you sell candles?).
3 intr. (of goods) be purchased (will never sell; these are selling well).
4 intr. (foll. by at, for) have a specified price (sells at {pound}5).
5 tr. betray for money or other reward (sell one's country).
6 tr. offer dishonourably for money or other consideration; make a matter of corrupt bargaining (sell justice; sell oneself; sell one's honour).
7 tr. a advertise or publish the merits of. b give (a person) information on the value of something, inspire with a desire to buy or acquire or agree to something.
8 tr. cause to be sold (the author's name alone will sell many copies).
9 tr. sl. disappoint by not keeping an engagement etc., by failing in some way, or by trickery (sold again!).
--n. colloq.
1 a manner of selling (soft sell).
2 a deception or disappointment.
Idiom
sell-by date the latest recommended date of sale marked on the packaging of esp. perishable food. sell down the river see RIVER. sell the (or a) dummy see DUMMY. selling-point an advantageous feature. selling-race a horse-race after which the winning horse must be auctioned. sell one's life dear (or dearly) do great injury before being killed. sell off sell the remainder of (goods) at reduced prices. sell out
1 a sell all one's stock-in-trade, one's shares in a company, etc. b sell (all or some of one's stock, shares, etc.).
2 a betray. b be treacherous or disloyal.
sell-out n.
1 a commercial success, esp. the selling of all tickets for a show.
2 a betrayal. sell the pass see PASS(2). sell a pup see PUP. sell short disparage, underestimate.
sell up Brit.
1 sell one's business, house, etc.
2 sell the goods of (a debtor). sold on colloq. enthusiastic about.
1 a sell all one's stock-in-trade, one's shares in a company, etc. b sell (all or some of one's stock, shares, etc.).
2 a betray. b be treacherous or disloyal.
sell-out n.
1 a commercial success, esp. the selling of all tickets for a show.
2 a betrayal. sell the pass see PASS(2). sell a pup see PUP. sell short disparage, underestimate.
sell up Brit.
1 sell one's business, house, etc.
2 sell the goods of (a debtor). sold on colloq. enthusiastic about.
Derivative
sellable adj.
Etymology
OE sellan f. Gmc
THESAURUS
sell
abalienate, advertise, alien, alienate, amortize, argue into, assign, assure, ballyhoo, bark, barter, be convincing, be in, be sold, bequeath, betray, bill, boost, brim, bring, bring home to, bring in, bring over, bring round, bring to reason, brink, build up, bulletin, bunker, captivate, carry, carry conviction, cater, cede, charm, cheat, circularize, clear the trade, close out, coal, command, con, confer, consign, convert, convert into cash, convey, convict, convince, convinced, cross, cry up, cut under, deal in, deceit, deception, deed, deed over, deliver, demise, devolve upon, dispose of, double-cross, draw, draw over, drive home to, dump, edge, effect a sale, enfeoff, establish, exchange, fake, feed, fetch, fill up, flimflam, flog, forage, fringe, fuel, furnish, gain, gain over, gas, gas up, give, give a write-up, give away, give publicity, give title to, gross, hand, hand down, hand on, hand over, handle, hawk, hem, hoax, hook, hook in, inform against, inspire belief, job, lead to believe, liquidate, make a sale, make over, market, merchandise, move, negotiate, net, offer, oil, outtalk, pass, pass on, pass over, peddle, perimeter, periphery, persuade, persuaded, placard, plug, post, post bills, post up, press-agent, prevail on, prevail upon, prevail with, promote, provender, provision, publicize, puff, purvey, push, put across, put over, put-on, realize, resell, retail, return, sacrifice, satisfy, sell for, sell off, sell on consignment, sell one on, sell out, sell over, sell retail, sell short, sell up, sell wholesale, selvage, settle, settle on, sham, shop, sign away, sign over, skirt, spiel, spoof, stock, supply, surrender, sway, talk into, talk over, tattle on, tell on, terminate the account, top off, trade, trade in, traffic, traffic in, transfer, transmit, turn into money, turn over, undercut, undersell, unload, vend, verge, victual, wangle, wangle into, wear down, wholesale, win, win over, write up, yieldROGET THESAURUS
sell
Sale
VB sell, vend, dispose of, effect a sale, sell over the counter, sell by auction, dispense, retail, deal in, sell off, sell out, turn into money, realize, bring to the hammer, bring under the hammer, put up to auction, put up for auction, offer for sale, put up for sale, hawk, bring to market, offer, undersell, let, mortgage.Absurdity
N absurdity, absurdness, imbecility alogy, nonsense, utter nonsense, paradox, inconsistency, stultiloquy, stultiloquence, nugacity, blunder, muddle, bull, Irishism, Hibernicism, slipslop, anticlimax, bathos, sophism, farce, galimathias, amphigouri, rhapsody, farrago, betise, extravagance, romance, sciamachy, sell, pun, verbal quibble, macaronic, jargon, fustian, twaddle, gibberish, exaggeration, moonshine, stuff, mare's nest, quibble, self- delusion, vagary, tomfoolery, poppycock, mummery, monkey trick, boutade, escapade, absurd, nonsensical, preposterous, egregious, senseless, inconsistent, ridiculous, extravagant, quibbling, self-annulling, self- contradictory, macaronic, punning, foolish sophistical, unmeaning, without rhyme or reason, fantastic, Int, fiddlededee!, pish!, pho!, in the name of the Prophet--figs!, credat Judaeus Apella, tell it to the marines.Deception
VB deceive, take in, defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize, abuse, mystify, blind one's eyes, blindfold, hoodwink, throw dust into the eyes, dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool, bamboozle, flimflam, hornswoggle, trick, impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm off on, palm upon, foist upon, snatch a verdict, bluff off, bluff, bunko, four flush, gum, spoof, stuff (a ballot box), circumvent, overreach, outreach, out wit, out maneuver, steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle, entrap, intrap, ensnare, nick, springe, set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for, bait the hook, forelay, spread the toils, lime, trapan, trepan, kidnap, let in, hook in, nousle, nousel, blind a trail, enmesh, immesh, shanghai, catch, catch in a trap, sniggle, entangle, illaqueate, hocus, escamoter, practice on one's credulity, hum, humbug, gammon, stuff up, sell, play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on, balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale, fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand, make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of, make an ass of, trifle with, cajole, flatter, come over, gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon, dissemble, cog, cog the dice, load the dice, stack the deck, live by one's wits, play at hide and seek, obtain money under false pretenses, conjure, juggle, practice chicanery, deacon, play off, palm off, foist off, fob-off, lie, misinform, mislead, betray, be deceived.Untruth
N untruth, falsehood, lie, story, thing that is not, fib, bounce, crammer, taradiddle, whopper, jhuth, forgery, fabrication, invention, misstatement, misrepresentation, perversion, falsification, gloss, suggestio falsi, exaggeration, invention, fabrication, fiction, fable, nursery tale, romance, absurd story, untrue story, false story, trumped up story, trumped up statement, thing devised by the enemy, canard, shave, sell, hum, traveler's tale, Canterbury tale, cock and bull story, fairy tale, fake, claptrap, press agent's yarn, puff, puffery (exaggeration), myth, moonshine, bosh, all my eye and Betty Martin, mare's nest, farce, irony, half truth, white lie, pious fraud, mental reservation, pretense, pretext, false plea, subterfuge, evasion, shift, shuffle, make-believe, sham, profession, empty words, Judas kiss, disguise, untrue, false, phony, trumped up, void of foundation, without- foundation, fictive, far from the truth, false as dicer's oaths, unfounded, ben trovato, invented, fabulous, fabricated, forged, fictitious, factitious, supposititious, surreptitious, elusory, illusory, ironical, soi-disant, se non e vero e ben trovato, where none is meant that meets the ear.For further exploring for "sell" in Webster Dictionary Online
