sale -
n. 1 the exchange of a commodity for money etc.; an act or instance of selling.
2 the amount sold (the
sales were enormous).
3 the
rapid disposal of goods at reduced prices for a period esp. at the end of a season etc.
4 a an event at which goods are sold. b a public auction.
on (or for) sale offered for purchase. sale of work an event where goods made by parishioners etc. are sold for charity. sale or return an arrangement by which a purchaser takes a quantity of goods with the right of returning surplus goods without payment. sale-ring a circle of buyers at an auction. sales clerk US a salesman or saleswoman in a shop. sales department etc. the section of a firm concerned with selling as opposed to manufacturing or dispatching goods. sales engineer a salesperson with technical knowledge of the goods and their market. sales resistance the opposition or apathy of a prospective customer etc. to be overcome by salesmanship. sales talk persuasive talk to promote the sale of goods or the acceptance of an idea etc. sales tax a tax on sales or on the receipts from sales. [OE sala f. ON]
