Sell out or sellout?
sell out is a noun meaning “Alternative form of sellout”; sellout is a noun meaning “An action in which principles are compromised for personal gain”. sell out is written as two words and sellout as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between sell out and sellout?
| sell out | sellout | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Meaning | To sell all of a supply or stock of something To abandon or betray one's principles to seek profit or other personal advantage; to abandon or betray one's supporters through this change | informalAn action in which principles are compromised for personal gain informalA person who sells out, who compromises their principles for financial gain or some other advantage |
| Example | They sold out of concert posters yesterday and won't get another shipment until next week | The rock star used to be hardcore, but now he's just a sellout |
| Forms | sell-outs | sellouts |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈsɛlˌaʊt/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 1 million words |
Sources: sell out and sellout in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of sell out and sellout
sell out
- 1
Alternative form of sellout
- 2
To sell all of a supply or stock of something
They sold out of concert posters yesterday and won't get another shipment until next week
- 3
To abandon or betray one's principles to seek profit or other personal advantage; to abandon or betray one's supporters through this change
It used to be a pleasant little community, until the leaders sold out to the developers
- 4
To betray (a person), usually a close friend or family member, for personal gain
I'll kill him if I see him again; he sold me out
- 5
To sell one's business (with a connotative emphasis on entirety and finality)
The owners long resisted buyout offers, but when they were ready to retire, they finally sold out to a competitor
- 6
To commit or abandon oneself entirely (to a cause, a team, etc.)
- 7
To sell one's commission
- 8
datedTo liquidate, sell off, or divest oneself of financial investments, stocks, or government funds
sellout
- 1
informalAn action in which principles are compromised for personal gain
- 2
informalA person who sells out, who compromises their principles for financial gain or some other advantage
The rock star used to be hardcore, but now he's just a sellout
- 3
The selling of an entire stock of something, especially tickets for an entertainment or sports event
I performed in front of a sellout crowd
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, sell out or sellout?
sell out is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; sellout about once in every 1 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).