What does "sale" mean?
An exchange of goods or services for currency or credit.
Sale
/seːl/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An exchange of goods or services for currency or credit.
- Grammar: sale is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abalienation, alienation, amortization, amortizement.
- Useful contrasts: apartment let, buy, buying.
- Usage evidence: The summer goods are now on sale.
How to use "sale"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sale" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sale" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sale" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sale" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sale" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abalienation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sale", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An exchange of goods or services for currency or credit. countable, uncountable
"He celebrated after the sale of company."
- 2 A hall. obsolete
- 3 a particular instance of selling wordnet
- 4 Ellipsis of discount sale (“the sale of goods at reduced prices”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"They are having a clearance sale: 50% off."
- 5 the general activity of selling wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder. countable, uncountable
- 7 an occasion (usually brief) for buying at specially reduced prices wordnet
- 8 an 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) wordnet
- 9 the state of being purchasable; offered or exhibited for selling wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A town in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, historically in Cheshire (OS grid ref SJ9892).
- 2 A town in the Shire of Wellington, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, named after Robert Sale.
- 3 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The summer goods are now on sale."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sale"?
Common synonyms include: abalienation, alienation, amortization, amortizement, asking price, assignation.
How do you use "sale" in a sentence?
The summer goods are now on sale.
How do you pronounce "sale"?
Pronounced /seːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”).
Etymology 2
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.
Etymology 3
From Old English sealh (“willow tree”).