sell
verb
sel 
sel səʊld soʊld exchange for money
1 [transitive, intransitive] to give something to somebody in exchange for moneysell something (to somebody) (for something) I sold my car to James for £800.sell somebody something (for something) I sold James my car for £800.sell (something) (at something) They sold the business at a profit/loss (= they gained/lost money when they sold it).We offered them a good price but they wouldn't sell.offer for sale
2 [transitive] sell something to offer something for people to buyMost supermarkets sell a range of organic products.Do you sell stamps?to sell insurance compare cross-sellingbe bought
3 [transitive, intransitive] to be bought by people in the way or in the numbers mentioned; to be offered at the price mentionedsell (something) The magazine sells 300000 copies a week.Their last album sold millions.The book sold well and was reprinted many times.The new design just didn't sell (= nobody bought it).sell for/at something The pens sell for just 50p each.persuade
4 [intransitive, transitive] to make people want to buy somethingYou may not like it but advertising sells.sell something It is quality not price that sells our products.5 [transitive] sell something/yourself (to somebody) to persuade somebody that something is a good idea, service, product, etc; to persuade somebody that you are the right person for a job, position, etcNow we have to try and sell the idea to management.You really have to sell yourself at a job interview.take money/reward
6 [transitive] sell yourself (to somebody) (disapproving) to accept money or a reward from somebody for doing something that is against your principlesSynonym
prostituteIdioms
be sold on something
(informal) to be very enthusiastic about somethingWe were really sold on the idea.sell your body
to have sex with somebody in exchange for money
sell somebody down the river
(informal) to give poor or unfair treatment to somebody you have promised to help From the custom of buying and selling slaves on the plantations on the Mississippi river in America. Slaves who caused trouble for their masters could be sold to plantation owners lower down the river, where conditions would be worse.sell somebody/yourself short
to not value somebody/yourself highly enough and show this by the way you treat or present them/yourself
sell your soul (to the devil)
to do anything, even something bad or dishonest, in return for money, success or power
Phrasal verbs
sell something 
off
1 to sell things cheaply because you want to get rid of them or because you need the money2 to sell all or part of an industry, a company or landThe Church sold off the land for housing.In the nineties most state-owned industries were sold off. related noun sell-offsell something on
to sell to somebody else something that you have bought not long beforeShe managed the business for a year and then sold it on.