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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
This prompts the question: if similar challenges were to arise, could the stock undergo a major sell-off and potentially drop to $35 from its current price of $66? Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025 This is the same storyline that helped the market recover Friday afternoon from a sell-off earlier in the session. Jeff Marks, CNBC, 2 June 2025
Verb
Such scams exploit investor enthusiasm and poor regulation to inflate prices before insiders sell off their holdings. Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025 That committee made the determination to sell off Pitney Bowes’ Global Ecommerce segment to liquidator Hilco Global that, relieving Hestia and other activist shareholders like Ancora Holdings from what the firms felt was a burden on the business. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 May 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 6 Jun. 2025.

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