sells the family silver

A form of sell the family silver — To sell one's property (not necessarily heirlooms) in an attempt to avoid or escape financial difficulties.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of sell the family silver
Cite this entry
APA

sells the family silver. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sells%20the%20family%20silver

MLA

“sells the family silver.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sells%20the%20family%20silver. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sells the family silver,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sells%20the%20family%20silver.

Source: sells the family silver on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.