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sell off

B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To sell a lot of things quickly, often at a cheap price, to get rid of them or make money fast.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To sell all remaining stock of a product, often at a discounted price, in order to clear inventory.

"The shop sold off all its winter stock in January to make room for the spring collection."

Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral

To sell business assets, subsidiaries, or shares — often quickly and under financial pressure.

"The conglomerate sold off several non-core divisions to focus on its primary business."

"The government announced it would sell off its remaining stake in the national airline."

— Financial Times, 2018
Grammar: separable
3 C1 formal

In financial markets: for investors to sell large volumes of shares rapidly, causing prices to fall sharply.

"Markets sold off sharply after the interest rate announcement."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Common in both business and everyday contexts. In finance, a 'sell-off' (noun) refers to a sharp decline in stock prices as investors sell large quantities. In retail, it means selling remaining stock cheaply.

Commonly used with

assets shares stock property subsidiaries inventory

Forms

Base
sell off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sells off
he/she/it
Past simple
sold off
yesterday
Past participle
sold off
have + pp
-ing form
selling off
continuous

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