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Synonyms

sale

American  
[seyl] / seɪl /

noun

  1. the act of selling. sell. selling.

  2. a quantity sold. sell. sold.

  3. opportunity to sell; demand.

    slow sale.

  4. a special disposal of goods, as at reduced prices.

  5. transfer of property for money or credit.

  6. an auction.

idioms

  1. on sale, able to be bought at reduced prices.

  2. for sale, offered to be sold; made available to purchasers.

sale 1 British  
/ seɪl /

noun

  1. the exchange of goods, property, or services for an agreed sum of money or credit

  2. the amount sold

  3. the opportunity to sell; market

    there was no sale for luxuries

  4. the rate of selling or being sold

    a slow sale of synthetic fabrics

    1. an event at which goods are sold at reduced prices, usually to clear old stocks

    2. ( as modifier )

      sale bargains

  6. an auction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Sale 2 British  
/ seɪl /

noun

  1. a town in NW England, in Trafford unitary authority, Greater Manchester: a residential suburb of Manchester. Pop: 55 234 (2001)

  2. a city in SE Australia, in SE Victoria: centre of an agricultural region. Pop: 12 854 (2001)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Salé 3 British  
/ sale /

noun

  1. a port in NW Morocco, on the Atlantic adjoining Rabat. Pop: 880 000 (2003)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
sale More Idioms  

  1. see close the sale; on sale; white sale.

Other Word Forms

  • intersale noun
  • nonsale noun
  • subsale noun

Etymology

Origin of sale

First recorded before 1050; Middle English; late Old English sala; cognate with Old Norse, Old High German sala; sell 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Despite suffering from "numerous" bald patches, a torn muzzle, and repairs to both pads on his paws and feet, the Edwardian bear attracted a lot of interest ahead of the sale.

From BBC

That’s especially the case when companies are likely to be much more reliant on domestic sales than in the recent past.

From The Wall Street Journal

That limits the state’s supply of homes for sale, pushing prices higher and increasing the incentive not to sell, said Ken DeLeon, founder of DeLeon Realty in Palo Alto, Calif.

From The Wall Street Journal

“He says, ‘Telluride is for sale’,” Horning recalled.

From The Wall Street Journal

The uptick in searches follows a year when sales of existing homes hit a 31-year low.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.