salethe act of selling; the amount sold; disposal of goods at reduced prices; an event where goods are sold; a public auctionNot to be confused with:sail ? a piece of canvas or other fabric extended on rigging to catch the wind and propel a sailing vessel; an apparatus that catches the wind on a windmill; to move along or travel over waterAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreesale (s?l)n.1. a. The exchange of goods or services for an amount of money or its equivalent; the act of selling: The sale of such a nice house should be easy.b. A selling of property to the highest bidder; an auction.2. An offer or arrangement in which goods are sold at a discount: The store has a sale on winter coats.3. salesa. The business or activity of selling goods or services: She works in sales.b. The number of items sold or the amount of money received for a number of items sold: Sales are better than expected.Idioms: for sale Available to customers: a store where pets are for sale. on sale1. Available to customers: That vegetable should be on sale at your local grocery.2. Available to customers at a special discount: Bathing suits are on sale.[Middle English, from Old English sala, from Old Norse.]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.sale (se?l) n1. (Commerce) the exchange of goods, property, or services for an agreed sum of money or credit2. (Commerce) the amount sold3. (Commerce) the opportunity to sell; market: there was no sale for luxuries. 4. (Commerce) the rate of selling or being sold: a slow sale of synthetic fabrics. 5. (Commerce) a. an event at which goods are sold at reduced prices, usually to clear old stocksb. (as modifier): sale bargains. 6. (Commerce) an auction[Old English sala, from Old Norse sala. See also sell]Sale (se?l) n1. (Placename) a town in NW England, in Trafford unitary authority, Greater Manchester: a residential suburb of Manchester. Pop: 55 234 (2001)2. (Placename) a city in SE Australia, in SE Victoria: centre of an agricultural region. Pop: 12 854 (2001)Salé (French sale) n (Placename) a port in NW Morocco, on the Atlantic adjoining Rabat. Pop: 880 000 (2003)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014sale (se?l) n. 1. the act of selling. 2. a special offering of goods, esp. at reduced prices. 3. transfer of property for money or credit. 4. a. an amount or quantity sold. b. sales, total receipts from selling. 5. opportunity to sell; demand. 6. an auction. 7. sales, a department or division, as in a business, concerned with selling and promoting goods, services, etc. Idioms: for sale, available for purchase. 8. on sale, able to be bought at reduced prices. [before 1050; late Old English sala c. Old High German, Old Norse sala; akin to sell] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.sale1. ‘sale’The sale of something is the act of selling it, or the occasion on which it is sold.A sale is an event in which a shop sells things at a reduced price.If something is for sale or up for sale, its owner is trying to sell it.A product that is on sale is available for people to buy.In American English, if something is on sale, it is available at a reduced price.