: a usually sudden sharp decline in security prices accompanied by increased volume of trading
sold off; selling off; sells off
: to suffer a drop in prices
Examples of sell-off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pia Singh, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025
Booth either has to try to find a sucker who’ll eat a bad contract or accept a sell-off that makes his team worse right smack dab in the middle of a contention window.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025
Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
ByteDance has maintained a strong resistance to selling off TikTok, especially a sale including its recommendation algorithm.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sell-off 
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
Stocks are coming off of a volatile trading session, in which the major averages made a striking turnaround after an initial global sell-off.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025
Booth either has to try to find a sucker who’ll eat a bad contract or accept a sell-off that makes his team worse right smack dab in the middle of a contention window.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
The power stocks most exposed to artificial intelligence sold off steeply Monday, as some investors fear that models developed in China could prove more energy efficient, potentially undermining the thesis that electricity demand in the U.S. will surge as the tech sector builds out data centers.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
ByteDance has maintained a strong resistance to selling off TikTok, especially a sale including its recommendation algorithm.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sell-off
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 9 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share