From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsell out phrasal verb1 BBTSELLif a shop sells out of something, it has no more of that particular thing left to sellbe/have sold out Sorry, we’re sold out. of We’ve completely sold out of those shirts in your size, sir.2 APSELLif products, tickets for an event etc sell out, they are all sold and there are none left Wow! Those cakes sold out fast.be/have sold out Tonight’s performance is completely sold out.3 CHANGE/BECOME DIFFERENTto change your beliefs or principles, especially in order to get more money or some other advantage – used to show disapproval ex-hippies who’ve sold out and become respectable businessmen4 BFSSELLto sell your business or your share in a business Wyman says he’ll sell out if business doesn’t pick up. to The T-mail Co. has sold out to San José-based DMX Inc for an undisclosed sum. → sell→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sell out• Anti-nuclear campaigners are calling the president's acceptance of nuclear testing a complete sell-out.• I went to the store to get some bread but they had sold out.• We couldn't get tickets anywhere - the show was completely sold out.• When the Socialists changed their policy on nuclear weapons they were accused of selling out.• Sunday newspapers often sell out by 10 o'clock.• The settlement of the dispute was a sell-out, leaving the miners worse off than they were before.• They opened at 8 o'clock, and by 8.30 they had sold out of tickets for the big game.• Many of the radicals of the 1960s sold out - they became accountants and salesmen.be/have sold out• Whatever the merits of their looks, enough customers loved them for them to be sold out.• Each year popular ales have sold out early and Camra has had to order more beer every year.• Past performances have sold out, so reserve your spot early.• The advance publicity has been stupendous, and the first issue is alleged to have sold out straight away.be/have sold out• Whatever the merits of their looks, enough customers loved them for them to be sold out.• Each year popular ales have sold out early and Camra has had to order more beer every year.• Past performances have sold out, so reserve your spot early.• The advance publicity has been stupendous, and the first issue is alleged to have sold out straight away. sell to• In the early 1970s, Spencer Stuart himself considered selling out to a general consulting business.• It will not be able to sell out to another company.• In 1833 he sold out to Clark and Street.• Or could those waves of nausea come from witnessing another champion of truth sell out to Hollywood?• Still others sold out to larger companies.• Every home game has been sold out to season ticket-holders since 1960.• This is largely because the upper-middle-class educated sector has sold out to the development industry, which provides relatively well-paid jobs.sell-outˈsell-out, sellout /ˈselaʊt/ noun [singular] 1 SELLa performance, sports game etc for which all the tickets have been sold The concert was expected to be a sell-out. a sellout crowd of 32,0002 informalBETRAY a situation in which someone has not done what they promised to do or were expected to do by the people who trusted them a sellout of the poor for political reasons3 informal someone who has not done what they promised to do or who is not loyal to their friends or supporters, especially in order to become more popular, richer etc Many black students regarded him as a sellout.Examples from the Corpus
sell-out• Co-operating with him might lead to a sell-out before they had even started.• Not surprisingly, the show was a sell-out.• It's another sell-out at Lansdowne Road this afternoon, only the thriving black market will have tickets for sale.• The huge sell-out reformation shows earlier this year were something they never achieved in their chart heyday.• But this was a small price to pay for insurance against a leadership sell-out.• The anarchist solution was more imaginative - neatly avoiding the possibility of sell-out by having no leaders at all.From Longman Business Dictionarysell out phrasal verb1[intransitive, transitive] sell something ↔ outFINANCE if an investor or owner of a company sells out, they sell their investments or the companyRelations between the directors are strained, and shareholders have said they would like to sell out. toThey announced that they were selling out to a Japanese company.2[intransitive]COMMERCE if a shop sells out of a product, it has no more of that particular product left ofSome retailers had sold out of the new games console within twenty-four hours.3[intransitive] if a product, seats at an event, tickets for a journey etc sell out, there is none leftFirst-class cabins are starting to sell out on some transcontinental flights. → see also sell-out → sell→ See Verb tablesell-outˈsell-out noun [singular]MARKETING if a product, share offer, event etc is a sell-out, it is very successful and lots of people buy it or go there, and no more products, shares, tickets etc are availableThe $200 million five-year bonds were an absolute sell-out. —sell-out adjectivea sell-out crowd 