Sales

ˈseɪlz

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
2 meanings3 idioms/phrases3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

The act of selling goods or services or the amount of goods or services sold.

ˈseɪlz

nounneutralBeginner
General

The activity of selling goods or services.

The car sales were up this month.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're selling lemonade. Sales is how many glasses you sell! If you sell a lot, that's good sales!

👶 For kids: When people buy things or the stuff that is bought and sold.

More Examples

2

She has a successful career in sales.

3

The company's marketing team is focused on increasing sales.

How It's Used

Business

"The company's sales increased by 15% last quarter."

Retail

"She works in sales at a clothing store."

2

A period during which goods are sold at reduced prices.

ˈseɪlz

nounpositiveBeginner
General

An event where goods are offered at reduced prices.

Black Friday sales attract many shoppers.

💡 Simply: It's like when your favorite store puts things on sale so you can get them cheaper! Yay sales!

👶 For kids: When things cost less money than usual.

More Examples

2

The store is having a clearance sale.

3

The end-of-season sales are always popular.

How It's Used

Retail

"The store is having a summer sales event."

E-commerce

"I found some great deals during the online sales."

Tip:Think of shopping discounts!

Idioms & expressions

sales pitch

A persuasive speech or presentation designed to sell a product or service.

"He gave us a good sales pitch, and we were convinced to buy the product."

closing the sale

The final stage of a sales process, when a customer agrees to buy a product or service.

"The salesperson was skilled at closing the sale and securing the deal."

a good sales person

Someone who is skilled at selling products or services.

"The company is looking for a good sales person to join the team."

From Middle English *sales*, plural of *sale* ("a selling"), from Old English *salu* ("a sale").

The word 'sales' has been in use since the Middle Ages, initially as the plural of 'sale'. Its usage has evolved from primarily referring to transactions to also encompassing marketing and the act of selling.

Memory tip

Think of a shop with customers buying things!

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"to give, sell"

sales teamsales figuressales pitchsales representativesales manager

Common misspellings

sailssellssaels

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written