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
In Britain, worries over the country’s borrowing needs contributed to a sharp sell-off in the nation’s government bonds, known as gilts, with the yield on the 10-year note rising 0.24 percentage points, on course for its biggest one-week move in a year. Joe Rennison, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 Denmark’s Moller-Maersk fell 5.8% amid a wider sell-off in shipping stocks after a tentative labor deal was stuck by U.S. dockworkers. Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
The communities in those areas got involved to make sure the land wasn’t sold off to developers at the highest bid. Pat Maio, Orange County Register, 15 Jan. 2025 After Friday’s blockbuster jobs report, the bond market sold off again. Matt Egan, CNN, 14 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near sell-off

Cite this Entry

“Sell-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell-off. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.

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