sell
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++sell1 /sel/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle sold /səʊld $ soʊld/) 1 give STH for money 售出某物 [intransitive, transitive]BBSELL to give something to someone in exchange for money 卖，售出，出售 OPP buy If you offer him another hundred, I think he’ll sell. 如果你再加一百元钱，我想他会卖的。 He regrets selling all his old records. 他后悔把所有的老唱片都卖掉了。sell something for £100/$50/30p etc Toni’s selling her car for £700. 托妮准备以700英镑卖掉她的汽车。sell somebody something I won’t sell you my shares! 我是不会把我的股份卖给你的！sell something to somebody The vase was sold to a Dutch buyer. 那只花瓶卖给了一名荷兰的买主。sell something at a profit/loss (=make or lose money on a sale) 赢利/亏本出售某物 Tony had to sell the business at a loss. 托尼只得把企业亏本卖掉。2 make STH available 出售某物 [intransitive, transitive]BBSELL to offer something for people to buy 有…出售，售卖，经销 Do you sell cigarettes? 你们有香烟卖吗？ a job selling advertising space 推销广告版面的工作sell at/for £100/$50/30p etc (=be offered for sale at £100/$50/30p etc) 以100英镑/50美元/30便士等出售 Smoke alarms sell for as little as five pounds. 烟雾警报器最便宜的只卖五英镑。3 make SB want STH 使某人想要某物 [transitive]PERSUADE to make people want to buy something 使〔某物〕吸引顾客，使畅销 Scandal sells newspapers. 丑闻使报纸畅销。sell something to somebody The car’s new design will help sell it to consumers. 这款汽车的新设计将会更加吸引消费者。4 be bought 被买走 [intransitive, transitive]BBSELL to be bought by people 有销路，被售出 Tickets for the concert just aren’t selling. 这场音乐会的门票销路不佳。 Her last book sold millions of copies. 她的最近一本书卖出了几百万本。 All the new houses have been sold. 所有的新房都售完了。sell well/badly (=be bought by a lot of people, or very few people) 畅销/不畅销 Anti-age creams always sell well. 抗衰老护肤霜总是很畅销。5. sell like hot cakes SELLto sell quickly and in large amounts 非常畅销，热销，抢手6 idea/plan 主意/计划 [intransitive, transitive]ACCEPT to try to make someone accept a new idea or plan, or to become accepted 使（人）接受；被接受 It’s all right for Washington, but will it sell in small-town America? 这在华盛顿没有问题，但在美国的小城镇中能被接受吗？sell something to somebody It’s hard for any government to sell new taxes to the electorate. 任何一个政府要让选民接受新的税项都很困难。sell somebody something managers selling employees the new working hours 设法让雇员接受新的工作时间的经理们be sold on (doing) something (=think an idea or plan is very good) 热衷于（做）某事，对（做）某事极感兴趣 Joe’s completely sold on the concept. 乔对这个想法极感兴趣。7 sell yourself 8 sell somebody/something short MODESTto not give someone or something the praise, attention, or reward that they deserve 对某人/某事评价太低9. sell your soul (to the devil) BAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONSto agree to do something bad in exchange for money, power etc 出卖灵魂（给魔鬼）〔以换取金钱、权力等〕10. sell somebody down the river BETRAYto do something that harms a group of people who trusted you, in order to gain money or power for yourself 〔为个人利益或权力〕出卖[背叛]某一群人11. sell your vote American EnglishPPV to take money from someone who wants you to vote for a particular person or plan 出卖选票〔指以选票作交换收取某人的钱〕12 sell something ↔ off phrasal verb 13 sell out phrasal verb 14 sell up phrasal verb British English SELLto sell most of what you own, especially your house or your business 卖掉（绝大部分财产）〔尤指住房或企业〕 THESAURUSsell to give something to someone in exchange for money 卖 ,出售He sold his motorcycle. 他把摩托车卖掉了。The shop sells old furniture. 这家商店出售旧家具。Do you sell books on gardening? 你们有园艺方面的书卖吗？export to send goods to another country to be sold 出口Which countries export oil to the United States? 哪些国家向美国出口石油？deal in something to buy and sell a particular type of goods as part of your business 经营某物,买卖某物He deals in antiques. 他经营古董。put something up for sale/put something on the market to make something available to be bought 把某物拿去出售/上市出售某物When the painting was first put up for sale, no one thought that it would be worth so much money. 这幅画首次出售的时候,没有人想到它会值这么多钱。nThe farm was put up for sale.sell up British English to sell your house or your business so that you can move to a different place or do something different 卖掉（房子或企业）〔以便移居别处或另谋发展〕They’re thinking of selling up and moving to Canada. 他们在考虑卖掉房子,移居加拿大。auction something/sell something at auction to sell things at a special event to the person who offers the most money 拍卖某物/在拍卖会上卖某物The contents of his home will be auctioned. 他家中的物件将被拍卖。flog British English informal to sell something, especially something that is of low quality 出售〔尤指劣质产品〕A man at the market was flogging £10 watches. 市场上有个男人在兜售十英镑的劣质手表。peddle to sell cheap things in the street. Also used about selling illegal drugs and pornography 兜售〔廉价物品或毒品、黄色书刊〕Street vendors peddled American and British cigarettes. 街头小贩兜售美国和英国香烟。People who peddle drugs to children should be severely punished. 向儿童兜售毒品者应该受到严惩。ntraffic in something to buy and sell large quantities of illegal goods or peopleThey trafficked in illegal weapons.The gang were involved in people-trafficking.drug-trafficking→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sell• Most supermarkets sell a wide range of products - often with special offers and price reductions.• Books that don't sell are sent back to the publishers.• The last model didn't sell as well as they'd expected.• Do they sell brake fluid here?• The company sold Braugh $100,000 worth of computers at discounted rates.• Everyone seemed to be selling chromium picolinate.• Raised in Chicago, Don sold construction services and transferred frequently.• Tom's thinking of selling his motorcycle and buying a new one.• Jackson faces a difficult struggle in selling his proposal to the city council.• It's not just a question of making a good product - we also have to go out and sell it to people.• Vending machines Vending machines usually sell items such as hot or cold drinks chocolate and cigarettes.• Their first album sold millions.• There's no question about it - scandal sells newspapers.• Postcards and souvenirs were being sold outside the cathedral.• If you want, say, a job in customer service, those skills would be important selling points.• We're hoping the house will sell quickly.• It sold shares in an initial public offering in May 1994.• My parents sold the stereo at a garage sale.• The antique buttons are very valuable, and we sell them for £100 and upwards.• The painting was sold to an art gallery in Philadelphia.• Some land was raised, leveled and sold to farmers.• It is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under the age of 18.• If you can, wait to sell until prices are high.• The handcrafted rocking horses have sold well across the United States.• They don't even sell white heather any more or tell your fortune.sell something to somebody• The school board sold the land to a real estate developer.• The motorcycle's eco-friendly design should help sell it to consumers.sell well/badly• Lower-priced homes continue to sell well.• Do certain products and services sell well?• It is a shame she doesn't sell better.• Swaledale is a traditional cheese of the same era as Wensleydale, which has been revived and is now selling well.• The bikes will also get new suspension and revised styling, even though they continue to sell well.• The year began with 1,400 own label items and finished with nearly 1,900 - all selling well.• He was producing boots that sold well but did not wear well.• Keith's work isn't cheap, but it's selling well in high streets across the world.• A bond that pays a 3. 2 percent coupon will sell well, said Uchiyama from Nikko Investment Trust.be sold on (doing) something• Local merchants aren't sold on banning car traffic from Market Street.• The question then arises, at what price should a Treasury bill be sold on a given day?• Then as in 1973 the lucky letters will be drawn and the tickets will be sold on a one-per-person basis.• But they were sold on a play in the bond market.• Over 100 copies of the books were sold on each occasion.• The magazine will also be sold on newsstands nationwide and offered by subscription.• Anyone wanting to buy a copy, only 100 were printed and of these twenty were sold on the day of publication.• While the price is a strong ace on the Paseo pack, most people will already be sold on its looks.sell2 noun 1 a hard/tough sell (also not an easy sell) something that it is difficult to persuade people to buy or accept 滞销品；不容易被接受的事物 This tax increase is going to be a hard sell to voters. 这次增税很难说服选民接受。 → hard sell, soft sellFrom Longman Business Dictionarysellsell1 /sel/ verb (past tense and past participle sold) /səʊldsoʊld/1[intransitive, transitive]COMMERCE to give someone property, assets, goods, services etc in return for moneyChrysler plans to raise cash byselling assets.Investors are selling more aggressively ahead of quarterly earnings reports.sell something to somebodyCanada’s largest oil and gas concern will be sold to the public through a series of share issues.sell something forHe was forced to sell the magazine for $29.1 million.2[transitive]COMMERCE to make something available for people to buyIn most countries, the firm sells its hi-fi equipment under the name Kenwood.3sell at/for £100/$3,000 etcCOMMERCE to be offered for sale at a particular priceHigh-priced desktop computers sell for $20,000 and up.4[transitive]MARKETING to encourage people to buy somethingReebok hopes their new promotion will sell the sportswear range.5[intransitive]COMMERCE to be bought in large quantitiesCorporate bonds issued this year have sold fast.Many companies are developing packaging that both protects the environment and sells.6sell yourself to impress people with your abilities and good qualitiesHe believes in his company, and he sells himself, marketing his own beliefs. → see also contract to sell, hard sell → sell something ↔ forward → sell something → off → sell on → sell out → sell up→ See Verb tablesellsell2 nounMARKETING1[singular] a product, idea, service etc that you sell or try to sellDespite spending more than £10 million on ads, the product was atough sell (=difficult to sell).There was a lack of confidence that the computer would be an easy sell (=easy to sell).2hard sell when a salesperson uses a lot of pressure to make a customer buy somethingA successful salesperson has to be good at the hard sell.3soft sell when someone tries to encourage and persuade a customer to buy something, rather than using a lot of pressureThe soft sell works in four out of five cases.Origin sell Old English sellansell1 verb →THESAURUS1sell2 nounLDOCE OnlineChinese
someone something Business to give Corpus exchange to for in
sell
sell1 S1 W1 /sel/ 
verb (past tense and past participle sold /səʊld $ soʊld/)
OPP buy:
If you offer him another hundred, I think he’ll sell.
He regrets selling all his old records.
sell something for £100/$50/30p etc
Toni’s selling her car for £700.
sell somebody something
I won’t sell you my shares__
sell something to somebody
The vase was sold to a Dutch buyer.
sell something at a profit/loss (=make or lose money on a sale)
Tony had to sell the business at a loss.
2. MAKE SOMETHING AVAILABLE [intransitive and transitive] to offer something for people to buy:
Do you sell cigarettes?
a job selling advertising space
sell at/for £100/$50/30p etc (=be offered for sale at £100/$50/30p etc)
Smoke alarms sell for as little as five pounds.
3. MAKE SOMEBODY WANT SOMETHING [transitive] to make people want to buy something:
Scandal sells newspapers.
sell something to somebody
The car’s new design will help sell it to consumers.
4. BE BOUGHT [intransitive and transitive] to be bought by people:
Tickets for the concert just aren’t selling.
Her last book sold millions of copies.
All the new houses have been sold.
sell well/badly (=be bought by a lot of people, or very few people)
Anti-age creams always sell well.
5. sell like hot cakes to sell quickly and in large amounts
6. IDEA/PLAN [intransitive and transitive] to try to make someone accept a new idea or plan, or to become accepted:
It’s all right for Washington, but will it sell in small-town America?
sell something to somebody
It’s hard for any government to sell new taxes to the electorate.
sell somebody something
managers selling employees the new working hours
be sold on (doing) something (=think an idea or plan is very good)
Joe’s completely sold on the concept.
7. sell yourself
a. to make yourself seem impressive to other people:
If you want a promotion, you’ve got to sell yourself better.
b. (also sell your body) to have sex with someone for money
8. sell somebody/something short to not give someone or something the praise, attention, or reward that they deserve:
Don’t sell yourself short – tell them about all your qualifications.
9. sell your soul (to the devil) to agree to do something bad in exchange for money, power etc
10. sell somebody down the river to do something that harms a group of people who trusted you, in order to gain money or power for yourself
11. sell your vote American English to take money from someone who wants you to vote for a particular person or plan
▪ sell to give something to someone in exchange for money: He sold his motorcycle. | The shop sells old furniture. | Do you sell books on gardening?
▪export to send goods to another country to be sold: Which countries export oil to the United States?
▪deal in something to buy and sell a particular type of goods as part of your business: He deals in antiques.
▪put something up for sale/put something on the market to make something available to be bought: When the painting was first put up for sale, no one thought that it would be worth so much money. | The farm was put up for sale.
▪sell up British English to sell your house or your business so that you can move to a different place or do something different: They’re thinking of selling up and moving to Canada.
▪auction something/sell something at auction to sell things at a special event to the person who offers the most money: The contents of his home will be auctioned.
▪flog British English informal to sell something, especially something that is of low quality: A man at the market was flogging £10 watches.
▪peddle to sell cheap things in the street. Also used about selling illegal drugs and pornography: Street vendors peddled American and British cigarettes. | People who peddle drugs to children should be severely punished.
▪traffic in something to buy and sell large quantities of illegal goods or people: They trafficked in illegal weapons. | The gang were involved in people-trafficking. | drug-trafficking
sell something ↔ off phrasal verb
1. to sell something, especially for a cheap price, because you need the money or because you want to get rid of it:
After the war, we had to sell off part of the farm.
We sell off leftover cakes before we close.
2. to sell all or part of an industry or company:
The Leicestershire company has sold off many of its smaller branches to cut debts.
sell out phrasal verb
1. if a shop sells out of something, it has no more of that particular thing left to sell
be/have sold out
Sorry, we’re sold out.
sell out of
We’ve completely sold out of those shirts in your size, sir.
2. if products, tickets for an event etc sell out, they are all sold and there are none left:
Wow__ Those cakes sold out fast.
be/have sold out
Tonight’s performance is completely sold out.
3. to change your beliefs or principles, especially in order to get more money or some other advantage – used to show disapproval:
ex-hippies who’ve sold out and become respectable businessmen
4. to sell your business or your share in a business:
Wyman says he’ll sell out if business doesn’t pick up.
sell out to
The T-mail Co. has sold out to San José-based DMX Inc for an undisclosed sum.
sell up phrasal verb British English
to sell most of what you own, especially your house or your business:
Liz decided to sell up and move abroad.
sell2 noun
a hard/tough sell (also not an easy sell) something that it is difficult to persuade people to buy or accept:
This tax increase is going to be a hard sell to voters.
⇨ hard sell, soft sell
| I |
verb (past tense and past participle sold /səʊld $ soʊld/) Language: Old English
Origin: sellan
1. GIVE SOMETHING FOR MONEY [intransitive and transitive] to give something to someone in exchange for money Origin: sellan
OPP buy:
sell something for £100/$50/30p etc
sell somebody something
sell something to somebody
sell something at a profit/loss (=make or lose money on a sale)
2. MAKE SOMETHING AVAILABLE [intransitive and transitive] to offer something for people to buy:
sell at/for £100/$50/30p etc (=be offered for sale at £100/$50/30p etc)
3. MAKE SOMEBODY WANT SOMETHING [transitive] to make people want to buy something:
sell something to somebody
4. BE BOUGHT [intransitive and transitive] to be bought by people:
sell well/badly (=be bought by a lot of people, or very few people)
5. sell like hot cakes to sell quickly and in large amounts
6. IDEA/PLAN [intransitive and transitive] to try to make someone accept a new idea or plan, or to become accepted:
sell something to somebody
sell somebody something
be sold on (doing) something (=think an idea or plan is very good)
7. sell yourself
a. to make yourself seem impressive to other people:
b. (also sell your body) to have sex with someone for money
8. sell somebody/something short to not give someone or something the praise, attention, or reward that they deserve:
9. sell your soul (to the devil) to agree to do something bad in exchange for money, power etc
10. sell somebody down the river to do something that harms a group of people who trusted you, in order to gain money or power for yourself
11. sell your vote American English to take money from someone who wants you to vote for a particular person or plan
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sell something ↔ off phrasal verb
1. to sell something, especially for a cheap price, because you need the money or because you want to get rid of it:
2. to sell all or part of an industry or company:
sell out phrasal verb
1. if a shop sells out of something, it has no more of that particular thing left to sell
be/have sold out
sell out of
2. if products, tickets for an event etc sell out, they are all sold and there are none left:
be/have sold out
3. to change your beliefs or principles, especially in order to get more money or some other advantage – used to show disapproval:
4. to sell your business or your share in a business:
sell out to
sell up phrasal verb British English
to sell most of what you own, especially your house or your business:
| II |
nouna hard/tough sell (also not an easy sell) something that it is difficult to persuade people to buy or accept:
⇨ hard sell, soft sell
especially