ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sells

v.
A1 Beginner US //ˈsɛɫz// UK //sˈɛlz// sells

v. to give something to someone in exchange for money. You use this when you are the person receiving the cash for a product or service.

v. to exchange a product or service for money. Transitive in its primary sense, though it can be used intransitively to describe how well a product is being purchased.


SIMPLE

The shop sells fresh bread every morning.

CONTEXTUAL

The local farmer sells organic vegetables at the market every Saturday to the neighborhood residents.

COMPLEX

While the company primarily sells software licenses to large corporations, it has recently expanded into providing direct consulting services to smaller startups.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; it can also be used intransitively to describe the rate of purchase (e.g., 'it sells well').

Pitfall

He sells to me his car.He sells his car to me.The direct object (the thing being sold) usually comes before the recipient when using 'to'.

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