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liquidation sale

liquidation sale

1 3.7
A sale of most goods at low prices when a business closes down
  • noun
  • /ˌlɪkwɪˈdeɪʃən seɪl/
translation icon : venta de liquidación
  • We hear that the stores may only be around for another 7 weeks or so, so get ready to go on a shopping spree once the liquidation sales start, and use your gift cards today!

Examples

  • The local bookstore is having a liquidation sale as it prepares to close its doors for good.

  • And, this weekend only, take advantage of our special liquidation sale.

  • Not anymore," he said, sitting behind a large desk in an office decorated with the paintings of cool older homes he said he happened upon at a hotel liquidation sale.

    Blog text (29)
  • Liquidation sale.

  • This weekend, we are hosting a liquidation sale with discounts of up to 70% on all items.

  • You can find great deals on electronics during the liquidation sale happening at the former appliance store.

Synonyms

liquidation
vsliquidation sale
  • Specialized
15 7.3

Closing a business and selling its assets to pay debts

refers specifically to a sale event rather than the entire legal closing process
fire sale
vsliquidation sale
9 4.2

People sell goods at very low prices because they must sell quickly

is about selling most assets during business end, not only urgent emergency sales
clearance sale
vsliquidation sale
4 2.1

A sale when a shop sells many items at low prices to make room for new stock

is tied to closing and selling nearly all assets rather than seasonal clearing
closeout
vsliquidation sale
  • US
3 4.8

A sale with much lower prices to sell remaining goods when a shop closes

is about selling most inventory or assets, not only leftover items
going-out-of-business sale
vsliquidation sale
  • US
2 3.5

A sale where a shop sells everything at low prices because it is closing

is the sale focused on selling assets rather than the whole legal winding up
inventory-clearance sale
vsliquidation sale
3.3

A shop event to sell old or extra items at low prices

is for selling most assets when a business ends, not only excess stock

How Final

liquidation sale
1 3.7
sale
476 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

liquidation + sale

The phrase is directly compositional: 'liquidation' (winding up/selling assets) + 'sale' (selling goods) yields a sale that occurs because a business is being liquidated. This straightforward cause–event relationship is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'venta de liquidación') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Liquidation sale comes from liquidation, meaning 'turning things into money', and sale, meaning 'selling'. When a business is 'closing down' it sells almost everything to get money, often at 'reduced prices', so the phrase means a big final sale to clear out a company's goods.