sell-off

1 of 2

noun

: a usually sudden sharp decline in security prices accompanied by increased volume of trading

sell off

2 of 2

verb

sold off; selling off; sells off

intransitive verb

: to suffer a drop in prices

Examples of sell-off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
His tariff policy has changed repeatedly over the last six months, with the latest import tax numbers serving as a substitute for what the president announced in April, which provoked a stock market sell-off. Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025 The broad sell-off on Friday marks an abrupt reversal from Wall Street's optimism this summer. Rafael Nam, NPR, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
Around the world, markets in Asia sold off today but mostly at levels of less than 1%. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 11 July 2025 Then of course, all attention turned to tariffs, the market sold off, and these companies fell with it. Frank Holland, CNBC, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for sell-off

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1976, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sell-off was in 1976

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sell-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell-off. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

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