sale
gb/sˈeɪl/ us/sˈeɪl/
A2
English
~ 600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
action
1
act of selling something
When someone sells something and another person buys it for money.
Usage pattern:
[something] is for sale
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sale' (the act) with 'sell' (the verb) or 'sell' (the act of offering for purchase).
Synonyms
transaction (More general; can involve any exchange, not just selling.)
Antonyms
purchase (The opposite role in the same exchange; buying instead of selling.)
Collocations
make a sale
|close a sale
|record sale
|cash sale
|private sale
Themes
business
|commerce
|daily life
|finance
Examples
- The company reported a sharp increase in sales last quarter.
- He made his first sale within an hour of opening the shop.
- The sale of alcohol is prohibited after midnight.
Learner examples
- I made my first sale today.
- The sale of cars is growing.
- This shop has many sales every day.
Noun
A2
event
2
discounted selling event
A time when stores sell things for less money than usual.
Usage pattern:
[store] has a sale on [items]
Common mistake:
Some learners confuse 'on sale' meaning 'discounted' with 'for sale' meaning 'available to buy'.
Synonyms
promotion (Broader; can include non-price incentives.)
Antonyms
full price (When goods are sold without any discount.)
Collocations
big sale
|clearance sale
|seasonal sale
|holiday sale
|flash sale
Themes
shopping
|commerce
|marketing
|business
|finance
Examples
- They're having a big sale on winter coats this week.
- I bought this TV during the holiday sale.
- The store is holding a clearance sale to make room for new stock.
Learner examples
- The store has a big sale today.
- I bought this dress in the summer sale.
- We go shopping when there is a sale.
Noun
B1
quantity
3
number or amount sold
How many things a store sells in a certain time.
Usage pattern:
sales of [product] increased/decreased
Synonyms
turnover (British English; refers to total business income from sales.)
Antonyms
losses (Refers to losing money instead of making sales/profit.)
Collocations
sales figures
|sales volume
|sales revenue
Themes
business
|economics
|finance
Examples
- Sales of electric cars have risen sharply.
- Our sales dropped slightly last month.
- The company saw record sales this year.
Learner examples
- Sales are high this month.
- Sales of shoes are low now.
- The shop has good sales every weekend.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sale
IPA
GB/sˈeɪl/
US/sˈeɪl/
Syllables & stress
sale (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (sale)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: sale
- Plural: sale, sales
Word family
Forms
sales
noun
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
unsaleable
adjective
Advanced or less common
saleable
adjective
reseller
noun B2
Expressions
for sale
1/fɚ sˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
available to be bought
If something is for sale, you can buy it.
Examples
- This house is for sale for $300,000.
- Are these paintings for sale?
on sale
1/ˈɔn sˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
being sold cheaply or now available
'On sale' means something is being sold at a lower price than usual, or that it is available to buy now.
Examples
- Those shoes are on sale for half price.
- The new book is now on sale in stores.
point of sale
1/pˈɔɪnt əv sˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
technical
place where buying happens
The place where you pay for things you buy in a store.
Examples
- Please pay at the point of sale.
- Point-of-sale systems are upgrading to accept mobile payments.
sell like hotcakes
1/sˈɛl lˈaɪk hˈɑtkˌeɪks/
idiom
informal
sell very quickly and well
To be bought by many people very quickly.
Examples
- The new video game is selling like hotcakes.
- Tickets for the concert sold like hotcakes.
hard sell
1/hˈɑɹd sˈɛl/
fixed phrase
Aggressive persuasion technique
A way of trying very strongly to make someone buy or accept something.
Examples
- The salesman used a hard sell to close the deal.
- The salesman used a hard sell to push the product.
- I don't like the hard sell approach.