Library / English Dictionary

WHOLESALE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The selling of goods to merchants; usually in large quantities for resale to consumers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("wholesale" is a kind of...):

marketing; merchandising; selling (the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money)

Antonym:

retail (the selling of goods to consumers; usually in small quantities and not for resale)

Derivation:

wholesale (sell in large quantities)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Ignoring distinctions

Example:

wholesale destruction

Synonyms:

sweeping; wholesale

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

indiscriminate (not marked by fine distinctions)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sell in large quantities

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "wholesale" is one way to...):

sell (exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent)

Domain category:

commerce; commercialism; mercantilism (transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Antonym:

retail (sell on the retail market)

Derivation:

wholesale (the selling of goods to merchants; usually in large quantities for resale to consumers)

wholesaler (someone who buys large quantities of goods and resells to merchants rather than to the ultimate customers)

 IV. (adverb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

On a large scale without careful discrimination

Example:

I buy food wholesale

Synonyms:

in large quantities; wholesale

Classified under:

Adverbs

Sense 2

Meaning:

At a wholesale price

Example:

I can sell it to you wholesale

Classified under:

Adverbs

Antonym:

retail (at a retail price)

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