Meanings
sale1
nounsale (countable and uncountable, plural sales)
plural sales
- countableuncountableAn exchange of goods or services for currency or credit.
He celebrated after the sale of company.
- abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of discount sale (“the sale of goods at reduced prices”).
They are having a clearance sale: 50% off.
- countableuncountableThe act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder.
sale2
Sale3
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
Opposite
nounan occasion (usually brief) for buying at specially reduced prices
Similar
cut-rate salesales event
Broader
nounan agreement (or contract) in which property is transferred from the seller (vendor) to the buyer (vendee) for a fixed price in money (paid or agreed to be paid by the buyer)
Similar
sales agreement
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sale · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*selh₁-“to grab”
- Proto-Germanic*salō“delivery”
- Old Norsesala“sale”
- Old Englishsala“act of selling, sale”
- Middle Englishsale
- Englishsale
From Middle English sale, from Old English sala (“act of selling, sale”), from Old Norse sala (“sale”), from Proto-Germanic *salō (“delivery”), from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- (“to grab”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →sale · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*sel-“home, dwelling, village”
- Proto-Germanic*salą“house, hall”
- Old Englishsæl“room, hall, castle”
- Middle Englishsale
- Englishsale
From Middle English sale, sal, from Old English sæl (“room, hall, castle”), from Proto-Germanic *salą (“house, hall”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“home, dwelling, village”). Cognate with West Frisian seal, Dutch zaal, German Saal, Swedish sal, Icelandic salur, Lithuanian sala (“village”). Doublet of sala and salle. Related also to salon, saloon.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Sale · proper noun
- Old Englishsealh“willow tree”
- EnglishSale
From Old English sealh (“willow tree”).
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πρᾶσις, πώλησις
- πρᾶσις (prâsis)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- πώλησις (pṓlēsis)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Arabic بَيْع, تخفيض
- بَيْع (bayʕ)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- تخفيض (taḵfīḍ)sale of goods at reduced prices
- مُزَايَدَة (muzāyada)act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Bengali বিক্রয়
- বিক্রয় (bikroẏ)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Bulgarian прода́жба, разпрода́жба
- прода́жба (prodážba)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- разпрода́жба (razprodážba)sale of goods at reduced prices
- търг (tărg)act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Catalan venda, rebaixa
- vendaexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- rebaixasale of goods at reduced prices
Chinese Cantonese 賣嘢 /卖嘢, 銷售 /销售
- 賣嘢 /卖嘢 (maai⁶ je⁵)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- 銷售 /销售 (siu¹ sau⁶)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Chinese Mandarin 銷售 /销售, 拍賣 /拍卖
- 銷售 /销售 (xiāoshòu)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- 拍賣 /拍卖 (pāimài)sale of goods at reduced prices
- 大賤賣 /大贱卖 (dàjiànmài)sale of goods at reduced prices
- 甩賣 /甩卖 (shuǎimài)sale of goods at reduced prices
Czech prodej, výprodej
- prodejexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- výprodejsale of goods at reduced prices
Danish salg
- salgexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Dutch verkoop, uitverkoop
- verkoopexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- uitverkoopsale of goods at reduced prices
- soldensale of goods at reduced prices
- veilingact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- veilingverkoopact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- verkoopact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Esperanto vendo, vendado
- vendoexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- vendadoexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- rabatosale of goods at reduced prices
Estonian müük
- müükexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Finnish myynti, alennusmyynti
- myyntiexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- alennusmyyntisale of goods at reduced prices
- alesale of goods at reduced prices
- huutokauppaact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
French vente, soldes
- venteexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- soldessale of goods at reduced prices
- liquidationsale of goods at reduced prices
- promotionsale of goods at reduced prices
- venteact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- vente aux enchèresact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
German Verkauf, Sonderangebote haben
- Verkaufexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- Sonderangebote habensale of goods at reduced prices
- im Sonderangebot habensale of goods at reduced prices
- Angebote habensale of goods at reduced prices
- im Angebot habensale of goods at reduced prices
- Abverkaufsale of goods at reduced prices
- Schlussverkaufsale of goods at reduced prices
- Ausverkaufsale of goods at reduced prices
- Auktionact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Greek πώληση, έκπτωση
- πώληση (pólisi)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- έκπτωση (ékptosi)sale of goods at reduced prices
Hebrew מְכִירָה, מִבְצָע
- מְכִירָה (m'khirá)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- מִבְצָע (mivtsá)sale of goods at reduced prices
Hindi विक्रय, बिक्री
- विक्रय (vikray)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- बिक्री (bikrī)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- फ़रोख़्त (faroxt)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- फरोख्त (pharokht)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Hungarian eladás, árusítás
- eladásexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- árusításexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- akciósale of goods at reduced prices
- kiárusítássale of goods at reduced prices
Icelandic sala, útsala
- salaexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- útsalasale of goods at reduced prices
Indonesian penjualan
- penjualanexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Irish díol, díolachán
- díolexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- díolachánexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- sladmhargadhsale of goods at reduced prices
Italian vendita, saldo
- venditaexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- saldosale of goods at reduced prices
- liquidazionesale of goods at reduced prices
- svenditasale of goods at reduced prices
Japanese 販売, 安売り
- 販売 (hambai)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- 安売り (yasuuri)sale of goods at reduced prices
- 特売 (tokubai)sale of goods at reduced prices
- セール (sēru)sale of goods at reduced prices
- 廉売 (renbai)sale of goods at reduced prices
Korean 판매, 세일
- 판매 (panmae)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- 세일 (seil)sale of goods at reduced prices
- 염매 (yeommae)sale of goods at reduced prices
Latin venum, venditio
- venumexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- venditioexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- venumsale of goods at reduced prices
- venditiosale of goods at reduced prices
- venditio ternimanssale of goods at reduced prices
- venum ternimanssale of goods at reduced prices
- venum terminanssale of goods at reduced prices
- venditio terminanssale of goods at reduced prices
- venum liberumact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- venumact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- venditio liberaact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- venditioact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Latvian pārdošana, izpārdošana
- pārdošanaexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- izpārdošanasale of goods at reduced prices
- ūtrupeact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- izpārdošanaact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Lithuanian pardavimas, išpardavimas
- pardavimasexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- išpardavimassale of goods at reduced prices
Malay jualan, penjualan
- jualanexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- penjualanexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Norwegian Bokmål salg, salg
- salgexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- salgsale of goods at reduced prices
- auksjonact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Polish sprzedaż, wyprzedaż
- sprzedażexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- wyprzedażsale of goods at reduced prices
Portuguese venda, promoção
- vendaexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- promoçãosale of goods at reduced prices
- leilãoact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Romanian vânzare, vindere
- vânzareexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- vindereexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Russian прода́жа, распрода́жа
- прода́жа (prodáža)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- распрода́жа (rasprodáža)sale of goods at reduced prices
- сейл (sɛjl)sale of goods at reduced prices
- сэйл (sɛjl)sale of goods at reduced prices
- аукцио́н (aukción)act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
- торги́ (torgí)act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Slovak predaj, výpredaj
- predajexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- výpredajsale of goods at reduced prices
Spanish venta, liquidación
- ventaexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- liquidaciónsale of goods at reduced prices
- rebajasale of goods at reduced prices
- rebajassale of goods at reduced prices
- salesale of goods at reduced prices
Swedish försäljning, rea
- försäljningexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- reasale of goods at reduced prices
- realisationsale of goods at reduced prices
- auktionact of putting up for auction to the highest bidder
Tagalog pagbili, kamurahan
- pagbiliexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- kamurahansale of goods at reduced prices
Thai การขาย
- การขาย (gaan-kǎai)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Turkish satış
- satışexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Ukrainian про́даж, спро́даж
- про́даж (pródaž)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- спро́даж (spródaž)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- розпро́даж (rozpródaž)sale of goods at reduced prices
Urdu بِکْری, فَروخْت
- بِکْری (bikrī)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- فَروخْت (faroxt)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- بَیع (bai')exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Vietnamese sự bán, sự hạ giá
- sự bánexchange of goods or services for currency or credit
- sự hạ giásale of goods at reduced prices
Yiddish פֿאַרקויף
- פֿאַרקויף (farkoyf)exchange of goods or services for currency or credit
Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
sail (pane–pain merger)sellcell (fell-fail merger)sail (pane–pain merger)sellcell (fell-fail merger)
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
sale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sale
MLA
“sale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sale. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sale,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sale.
Source: sale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.