💰 To exchange for money 🗣️ To persuade 🗣️ A persuasion attempt 🤐 To betray

to sell

642 7.9

To betray someone for personal gain

verb
/sɛl/

Informal

: vender a (informal)

Yeah, I'm willing to sell my soul to win.
sell one's soul
sell one's birthright

He goes and you don't sell your soul, you rent it.

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Examples

He would sell out his friends just to get ahead in his career.
You've got what the rest of us would sell our souls to get, and you've sold yours.

Fiction book (1991)
Just want to say that she sold her son out to the cops.
Her own parents sold her to be killed.
I just felt so bad, like I had sold my soul like you did.
My son needed me to go to bat for him... and I sold him right the fuck out.

Ezra (2024)
I heard that she initially sold her own daughters.
He'll wipe out everybody, who sold him out.

The Courier (2012)
But if she does agree to it, then she's selling herself out.

Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy
So I sold them out at Salinas, and I had to stock up again.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

Synonyms

to betray

vsto sell

111 4.1

Give people or information to an enemy

specifies the act is done for personal gain or advantage rather than only treachery

to sell someone out

vsto sell

Informal

109 5.9

Betray someone by telling their secrets to others for personal gain

covers any giving up for personal gain not only exposing secrets

to sell out

vsto sell

Informal

55 6.8

To give up your beliefs for money or personal gain

covers giving up people or things for personal gain not only ideas

to sell down the river

vsto sell

Informal

12 8.8

To betray someone to get something for yourself

includes giving up people or things for personal advantage

to sell one's own grandmother

vsto sell

Informal

9.9

To betray or use close family to get something for yourself

refers generally to giving up people or things for personal gain not specifically close relatives

to sell one's soul

vsto sell

Informal

8.3

Act badly to get money, power, or success

applies to giving up people or things for personal advantage not only morals

Antonyms

to protect

∞ 1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

Idioms

to sell down the river

Informal

12 8.8

To betray someone to get something for yourself

to sell a bill of goods

Informal

2 9.0

To trick someone by making something false seem valuable

to buy low, sell high

1 3.9

To buy something when its price is low and sell it later to make money

to sell like hot cakes

Informal

1 3.3

To be bought quickly by many people

to sell like gangbusters

Informal

1 7.2

Many people buy it very quickly

to have a bridge to sell

Informal

9.9

To offer something unbelievable to trick someone, often as a joke

to sell one's soul

Informal

8.3

Act badly to get money, power, or success

to sell one's own grandmother

Informal

9.9

To betray or use close family to get something for yourself

to sell the family silver

8.6

Give up valuable family items to solve money problems

to sell your birthright

8.2

To give up something very important for little or no value

to sell your birthright for a mess of pottage

9.9

To give up something very important for a small, quick gain

Phrasal Verbs

to sell someone out

Informal

109 5.9

Betray someone by telling their secrets to others for personal gain

to sell out

65 2.8

To sell all the tickets or goods so nothing is left

to sell off

57 3.5

To quickly get rid of things by offering them at low prices

to sell out

Informal

55 6.8

To give up your beliefs for money or personal gain

to sell oneself

Informal

10 6.8

To show your skills and good points to get opportunities

to sell short

Specialized

3 8.1

To sell stocks you do not own hoping to buy them back at a lower price

to sell up

1 5.5

Get money for all your things, often to move away or close a business

to sell short

1 5.7

To think a person or thing cannot do as much as they really can

to sell dearly

Informal

8.3

To suffer serious harm or loss because of something you did

to sell down

5.9

To find buyers for part of your shares or investments so you own less

to sell one's body

NSFW

9.9

To have sex with someone for money

Compounds

hard sell

Informal

15 5.3

A strong, pushy effort to make someone buy something

sell-by date

4 3.2

Date on food that shows the last day shops should keep it on shelves so it is still fresh

soft sell

1 3.9

A gentle way to encourage people to buy something

How Loyal

to stand by

187 3.2

to let down

210 2.9

to sell

Informal

642 7.9

Surface Forms

sell infinitive

selling present participle

sells third person singular

sold past

sold past participle

Etymology

Sell can mean 'hand over' or betray, as in the phrase sell out, where someone is given up for personal gain. A helpful way to remember this is to imagine handing a friend to the enemy for money, which is why to sell someone out means to betray them for advantage.