sell-off

1 of 2

noun

ˈsel-ˌȯf 

: a usually sudden sharp decline in security prices accompanied by increased volume of trading

sell off

2 of 2

verb

sold off; selling off; sells off

intransitive verb

: to suffer a drop in prices

Examples of sell-off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Bridgewater Associates founder told CNBC equities have so far weathered the global bond sell-off because earnings growth has kept expected stock returns attractive, relative to bonds. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

The sell-off is gaining pace despite inflation data released on Wednesday that could take some pressure off the Fed. — Ian Mount, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

But most of the gains came earlier in the year before the bond market stress intensified, with many REIT investments selling off since August. — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

French bonds have sold off sharply in recent weeks, and yields on them are approaching record highs. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1976, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sell-off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff