Sell-out

Question

Hi I would like to know about the usage of sell-out+ sold out

sell out (noun)

1. THe selling of an entire stock of something.

2. A betrayal.

An example would be nice.

Also,

He sells out his family for cash.

He sold out his family for cash.

He is a sell-out. He was a sell-out/ sold-out? (Please help me )

A sold-out/sell-out politcian. (Which one help is correct?)

Thanks in advance.

Michael321 · Accepted Answer

Hi.

Regarding your first request for examples:

1) e.g. "The store had sold out of chocolate"; "the new iPad is all sold out". You would not generally use the "sell out" in this context (you could say something was a "total sell-out"). If in doubt, use "sold out" in this context.

2) This meaning is trickier. You can either use "sell-out" as a noun - e.g. "He is a sell-out", or you can use it as a verb, in which case you use it as normal, with "sell" being the present tense. e.g. "He sold out to the mafia"; "he sold us out"; "he is going to sell us out"; "The politician sold out to lobbyists".

When using "sell-out" as a noun, stick to the present tense regardless. e.g.:

"He is a sell-out"

"He was a sell-out".

Michaelting · Answer

Thank you for your reply. I would just like to confirm

The new iPad is sold out.

Shouldn't this be in plural form? Like

The tickets are sold out.

Michael321 · Answer

That would seem logical, but no it does not.

You could say:

- "The new iPad is sold out"

- "The play was completely sold out within an hour"

I know this is correct, but I'm not exactly sure why

I think it's because the when you talk about the "iPad" in this instance, you are referring to the brand/product itself as a whole, rather than individual instances of the products. But you could use the plural if you wanted, and say "The new iPads are all sold out".

On the other hand, the tickets are a means to an end. The ticket is not the product in question (the product is the play/movie/gig the ticket gets you access to), so the incorrect phrase "the ticket is all sold out" would make no sense. The ticket is just a scrap of paper gaining you access - it has no higher meaning. Compare that with "iPad", which can either refer to an individual iPad, or to the overall brand/product.

I'm sorry but I haven't done a very good job of explaining that. I can guarantee you that you can say "the new iPad is sold out", but hopefully someone else can better articulate why this is.

Sell-out

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