sellto transfer goods or render services in exchange for money: sell the carNot to be confused with:cell ? a small room as in a convent or prison; basic structural unit of all organisms: a one-celled animalAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreesell (s?l)v. sold (s?ld), sell·ing, sells v.tr.1. To exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent: We sold our old car for a modest sum.2. To offer or have available for sale: The store sells health foods.3. To give up or surrender in exchange for a price or reward: sell one’s soul to the devil.4. To be purchased in (a certain quantity); achieve sales of: a book that sold a million copies.5. a. To bring about or encourage sales of; promote: Good publicity sold the product.b. To cause to be accepted; advocate successfully: We sold the proposal to the school committee.6. To persuade (another) to recognize the worth or desirability of something: They sold me on the idea.v.intr.1. To exchange ownership for money or its equivalent; engage in selling: Are any of the fruit vendors still selling?2. To be sold or be on sale: Grapes are selling high this season.3. To attract prospective buyers; be popular on the market: an item that doesn’t sell.4. To be approved of; gain acceptance: an idea that just wouldn’t sell.n.1. An act or instance of selling: ordered a sell of his shares in the company.2. Something that sells or gains acceptance in a particular way: Their program to raise taxes will be a difficult sell.3. Slang A deception; a hoax.Phrasal Verbs: sell off To get rid of by selling, often at reduced prices. sell out1. To sell all of a supply of something: We have sold out of that model.2. To cause (someone) to have sold an entire supply of something: The bakery is sold out of those pastries.3. To be entirely sold: Her new novel has sold out.4. Slang To betray one’s principles or colleagues: He sold out to the other side. sell through To be purchased as a retail item by a customer: The clothes are in the store, but they aren’t selling through.Idioms: sell a bill of goods Informal To take unfair advantage of. sell down the river Informal To betray the trust or faith of. sell short1. To contract for the sale of securities or commodities one expects to own at a later date and at more advantageous terms.2. To underestimate the true value or worth of: Don’t sell your colleague short; she’s a smart lawyer.[Middle English sellen, from Old English sellan, to give, sell.]sell?a·ble adj.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.sell (s?l) vb, sells, selling or sold1. to dispose of or transfer or be disposed of or transferred to a purchaser in exchange for money or other consideration; put or be on sale2. to deal in (objects, property, etc): he sells used cars for a living. 3. (tr) to give up or surrender for a price or reward: to sell one’s honour. 4. to promote or facilitate the sale of (objects, property, etc): publicity sells many products. 5. to induce or gain acceptance of: to sell an idea. 6. (intr) to be in demand on the market: these dresses sell well in the spring. 7. (tr) informal to deceive or cheat8. (foll by: on) to persuade to accept or approve (of): to sell a buyer on a purchase. 9. sell down the river informal to betray10. sell oneself a. to convince someone else of one’s potential or worthb. to give up one’s moral or spiritual standards, etc11. informal to disparage or belittle12. (Banking & Finance) finance to sell securities or goods without owning them in anticipation of buying them before delivery at a lower pricen13. the act or an instance of selling. Compare hard sell, soft sell14. informal a. a trick, hoax, or deceptionb. Irish a great disappointment: the service in the hotel was a sell. [Old English sellan to lend, deliver; related to Old Norse selja to sell, Gothic saljan to offer sacrifice, Old High German sellen to sell, Latin c?nsilium advice] ?sellable adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014sell (s?l) v. sold, sell?ing, n. v.t. 1. to transfer (goods or property) or render (services) in exchange for money. 2. to deal in; keep or offer for sale: to sell insurance. 3. to make a sale or offer for sale to. 4. to persuade or induce to buy. 5. to promote or effect the sale of: Packaging sells many products. 6. to achieve sales of: The record sold a million copies. 7. to cause to be accepted, esp. generally or widely: to sell an idea to the public. 8. to cause or persuade to accept, approve of, or see the value of: to sell the voters on a candidate; to sell oneself at a job interview. 9. to surrender or deliver improperly or dishonorably in return for profit or advantage: to sell one’s soul for power; to sell votes. 10. to betray. 11. to force or exact a price for: They sold their lives dearly. 12. to cheat or hoax. v.i. 13. to make a sale of something; transfer goods or property in exchange for money. 14. to offer something for sale. 15. to be offered for sale at the price indicated (fol. by at or for). 16. to engage or be employed in selling something. 17. to promote sales. 18. to be in demand by buyers: On a rainy day, umbrellas really sell. 19. to win acceptance, approval, or adoption: an idea that will sell. 20. sell off, to rid oneself of by selling, esp. at reduced prices: to sell off last year’s designs. 21. sell out, a. to dispose of entirely by selling. b. to betray (an associate, principles, a cause, etc.). c. to betray one’s principles. n. 22. an act or method of selling. 23. Informal. a cheat; hoax. [before 900; Middle English (v.), Old English sellan orig., to give, hence, give up (someone) to an enemy, betray, exchange for money, c. Old Frisian sella, Old Saxon sellian, Old High German sellen, Old Norse selja to hand over, deliver, Gothic saljan to sacrifice] sell?a?ble, adj. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.sellPast participle: soldGerund: sellingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativesellsellPresentI sellyou sellhe/she/it sellswe sellyou sellthey sellPreteriteI soldyou soldhe/she/it soldwe soldyou soldthey soldPresent ContinuousI am sellingyou are sellinghe/she/it is sellingwe are sellingyou are sellingthey are sellingPresent PerfectI have soldyou have soldhe/she/it has soldwe have soldyou have soldthey have soldPast ContinuousI was sellingyou were sellinghe/she/it was sellingwe were sellingyou were sellingthey were sellingPast PerfectI had soldyou had soldhe/she/it had soldwe had soldyou had soldthey had soldFutureI will sellyou will sellhe/she/it will sellwe will sellyou will sellthey will sellFuture PerfectI will have soldyou will have soldhe/she/it will have soldwe will have soldyou will have soldthey will have soldFuture ContinuousI will be sellingyou will be sellinghe/she/it will be sellingwe will be sellingyou will be sellingthey will be sellingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been sellingyou have been sellinghe/she/it has been sellingwe have been sellingyou have been sellingthey have been sellingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been sellingyou will have been sellinghe/she/it will have been sellingwe will have been sellingyou will have been sellingthey will have been sellingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been sellingyou had been sellinghe/she/it had been sellingwe had been sellingyou had been sellingthey had been sellingConditionalI would sellyou would sellhe/she/it would sellwe would sellyou would sellthey would sellPast ConditionalI would have soldyou would have soldhe/she/it would have soldwe would have soldyou would have soldthey would have soldCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011