sell
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sehlIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɛl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ergative
Be sold at a certain price or in a certain way
“These books sell like hot cakes.”
Exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
transitiveditransitiveintransitive
To transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.
transitive
To promote (a product or service) although not being paid in any direct way or at all.
transitive
To promote (a particular viewpoint).
ergative
To be sold.
noun
An act of selling; sale.
figurativeby extension
The promotion of an idea for acceptance.
An easy task.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Be sold at a certain price or in a certain way
Used this way, sell is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“These books sell like hot cakes.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use sell
- “These books sell like hot cakes.”verb
Share your sentence
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Someone who promotes or exchanges goods or services for money.
The exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Get rid of by selling, usually at reduced prices.
A date stamped on perishable produce indicating the date by which it should be sold.
Sell securities or commodities or foreign currency that is not actually owned by the seller, who hopes to cover (buy back) the sold items at a lower price and thus to earn a profit.
Someone who sells goods (on commission) for others.
A characteristic of something that is up for sale that makes it attractive to potential customers.
The price at which something is offered for sale.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A market in which more people want to buy than want to sell.
A market in which more people want to buy than want to sell.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “sell” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.