Adjacent Words

Wholesale definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WHOLESALE, n. [whole and sale.]
1. Sale of goods by the piece or large quantity; as distinguished from retail. Some traders sell either by wholesale or retail.
2. The whole mass.
Some from vanity or envy, despise a valuable book, and throw contempt upon it by wholesale.
WHOLESALE, a. [supra.]
1. Buying and selling by the piece or quantity; as a wholesale merchant or dealer.
2. Pertaining to the trade by the piece or quantity; as the wholesale price.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: ignoring distinctions; "sweeping generalizations"; "wholesale destruction" [syn: sweeping, wholesale] n
1: the selling of goods to merchants; usually in large quantities for resale to consumers [ant: retail] v
1: sell in large quantities [ant: retail] adv
1: at a wholesale price; "I can sell it to you wholesale" [ant: retail]
2: on a large scale without careful discrimination; "I buy food wholesale" [syn: wholesale, in large quantities]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Date: 15th century the sale of commodities in quantity usually for resale (as by a retail merchant) II. adjective Date: 1642 1. performed or existing on a large scale especially without discrimination <wholesale slaughter> 2. of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of commodities in quantity for resale <a wholesale grocer> III. adverb Date: 1732 in a wholesale manner IV. verb (wholesaled; wholesaling) Date: 1800 transitive verb to sell (something) in quantity usually for resale intransitive verb to sell in quantity usually for resale

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n., adj., adv., & v. --n. the selling of things in large quantities to be retailed by others (cf. RETAIL). --adj. & adv. 1 by wholesale; at a wholesale price (can get it for you wholesale). 2 on a large scale (wholesale destruction occurred; was handing out samples wholesale). --v.tr. sell wholesale. Derivatives: wholesaler n. Etymology: ME: orig. by whole sale

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wholesale Whole"sale`, n. Sale of goods by the piece or large quantity, as distinguished from retail. By wholesale, in the mass; in large quantities; without distinction or discrimination. Some, from vanity or envy, despise a valuable book, and throw contempt upon it by wholesale. --I. Watts.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wholesale Whole"sale`, a. 1. Pertaining to, or engaged in, trade by the piece or large quantity; selling to retailers or jobbers rather than to consumers; as, a wholesale merchant; the wholesale price. 2. Extensive and indiscriminate; as, wholesale slaughter. ``A time for wholesale trust.'' --Mrs. Humphry Ward.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Wholesale is the activity of buying and selling goods in large quantities and therefore at cheaper prices, usually to shopkeepers who then sell them to the public. Compare retail. (BUSINESS) Warehouse clubs allow members to buy goods at wholesale prices... I am in the wholesale trade. N-UNCOUNT: usu N n 2. If something is sold wholesale, it is sold in large quantities and at cheaper prices, usually to shopkeepers. (BUSINESS) The fabrics are sold wholesale to retailers, fashion houses, and other manufacturers. ADV: ADV after v 3. You use wholesale to describe the destruction, removal, or changing of something when it affects a very large number of things or people. They are only doing what is necessary to prevent wholesale destruction of vegetation... ADJ: ADJ n [emphasis]

Moby Thesaurus

abounding, absolute, abundant, affluent, all-embracing, all-encompassing, all-out, all-pervading, all-sufficing, ample, aplenty, at a bargain, at a sacrifice, at budget prices, at cost, at cost price, at piggy-bank prices, at prime cost, at reduced rates, at small cost, at wholesale, be in, bill of sale, blanket, born, bottomless, bounteous, bountiful, broad, broad-based, business, carry, casual, cheap, cheaply, clean, clear, close out, commercial, comprehensive, congenital, consummate, convert into cash, copious, cut under, deal in, deep-dyed, demand, diffuse, downright, dump, dyed-in-the-wool, effect a sale, effuse, egregious, epidemic, exhaustive, exhaustless, extensive, extravagant, exuberant, far-embracing, far-extending, far-flung, far-flying, far-going, far-ranging, far-reaching, fat, fertile, flush, for a song, for pennies, full, galore, general, generous, handle, imprudent, in plenty, in quantity, indiscreet, indiscriminate, indiscriminating, indiscriminative, industrial, inexhaustible, inexpensively, insensitive, intensive, job, large-scale, lavish, liberal, luxuriant, make a sale, many, market, marketing, mass market, maximal, mercantile, merchandise, merchandising, merchant, moderately, move, much, nominally, nonjudgmental, numerous, omnibus, omnipresent, on the cheap, opulent, out-and-out, outlet, outright, overflowing, perfect, pervasive, plain, plenitudinous, plenteous, plentiful, plenty, plumb, prevailing, prevalent, prodigal, productive, profuse, profusive, promiscuous, pure, radical, rampant, reasonably, regular, replete, resell, retail, retailing, rich, rife, riotous, running over, sacrifice, sale, sales, sell, sell off, sell on consignment, sell out, sell over, sell retail, sell short, sell up, sell wholesale, selling, sheer, straight, superabundant, sweeping, tactless, teeming, thorough, thoroughgoing, through-and-through, tie-in, total, trade, trade in, trading, traffic in, turn into money, turn over, turnover, ubiquitous, unconditional, uncritical, uncriticizing, undemanding, undercut, undersell, undifferentiating, undiscreet, undiscriminated, undiscriminating, undiscriminative, undistinguishing, unexacting, unfastidious, universal, unload, unmeticulous, unmitigated, unparticular, unqualified, unreserved, unrestricted, unselective, unsubtle, untactful, utter, veritable, wealthy, well-found, well-furnished, well-provided, well-stocked, wholesaling, wide, wide-extended, wide-extending, wide-ranging, wide-reaching, wide-stretching, widespread