sell-off

[ sel-awf, -of ]

noun

1. Stock Exchange. a sudden and marked decline in stock or bond prices resulting from widespread selling.
2. an act or instance of liquidating assets or subsidiaries, as by divestiture.

sell off

verb

1. tr, adverb to sell (remaining or unprofitable items), esp at low prices

Word History and Origins

Origin of sell-off¹

First recorded in 1935–40; noun use of verb phrase sell off

Idioms and Phrases

Get rid of by selling, often at reduced prices. For example, The jeweler was eager to sell off the last of the diamond rings . [c. 1700] Also see sell out , def. 1.

Example Sentences

He fears having to sell off parts of his family's 700-acre hill farm near Bridgend to afford a future tax bill, saying his forefathers would be "turning in their graves".

From BBC

Donald Trump promised not to sell off shares of Truth Social's parent company and called for an investigation into rumors that he would on Friday.

From Salon

Mr Grindal, who has two sons, aged 17 and 19, said he could be hit twice by the changes – on handing down the family farm, and if landowners sell off the land he rents.

From BBC

But the competition hits a lull when they want to sell off their handful of Chalamet look-alikes to the adoring women-dominated audience.

From Salon

Because a sheriff's mandate is so large — they control wide swathes of things, they not only handle evictions, they run jails, sometimes they sell off seized assets like cars or firearms.

From Salon

Related Words

• sell-off