sellout

Related to sellout: Empire

sell out

1. To betray one for a personal benefit. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sell" and "out." Part of the discontentment among voters comes from the sentiment that those in government sold them out when the economy collapsed. Jacob sold out the others to the police so that he would avoid jail time.
2. Of a stock of something, to become completely depleted due to every item having been sold. The concert tickets sold out in a matter of minutes. The new smartphone is selling out faster than we expected.
3. To abandon or betray one's espoused principles or cause, especially in the pursuit of profit or personal benefit. Many of his fans felt he sold out when he signed with a major record label. That's it? One hard month and you're ready to sell out and get a corporate job?
See also: out, sell

sellout

1. A person who has abandoned or betrayed their espoused principles or cause, especially in the pursuit of profit or personal advantage. Many of his fans accused him of being a sellout when he signed with a major record label. Sure, he posts about social causes, but he gave up activism years ago to work in marketing. Total sellout.
2. An event that reaches capacity for admission due to all the tickets having been sold. The concert was another sellout, with over 30,000 people in attendance.
3. The act or instance of selling through the entire stock of something. The store holds a huge sellout after the holidays to get rid of leftover items at heavily discounted prices.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

sell out (to someone)

 
1. to sell everything, such as all one's property or one's company, to someone. The farmer finally gave up and sold out to a large corporation. I refuse to sell out no matter what they offer me.
2. to betray someone or something to someone. I think that you have sold out to the enemy!
See also: out, sell

sell out (to someone)

 
1. to sell everything, such as all one's property or one's company, to someone. The farmer finally gave up and sold out to a large corporation. I refuse to sell out no matter what they offer me.
2. to betray someone or something to someone. I think that you have sold out to the enemy!
See also: out, sell

sell someone out

 and sell someone down the river
to betray someone; to reveal damaging information about someone. Bill told everything he knew about Bob, and that sold Bob down the river. You'll be sorry if you sell me out. Lefty sold out his friends, and we'll all soon be arrested.
See also: out, sell

sell something out

to sell all of something. Have they sold their supply out yet? The stores sold out their stocks of that game long before Christmas.
See also: out, sell
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

sell out

1. Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company, or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago. [Late 1700s]
2. Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side. [Slang; late 1800s]
See also: out, sell
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

sell out

v.
1. To be sold completely: The tickets will sell out by tomorrow.
2. To sell one's entire supply of a particular item: I'm afraid we sold out all our ice cream, kids! The hardware store sold out of plywood as the hurricane moved closer to shore.
3. To cause some supply of merchandise to be sold completely. Used in the passive: We can't get into the theater because the tickets are sold out.
4. To cause some vendor to sell its entire supply of something. Used in the passive: I wanted to buy more spoons, but the store was sold out.
5. To sell one's entire stake in a business or venture: The owners of the liquor store plan to sell out as soon as they can find a buyer.
6. To betray one's cause or colleagues, especially for money: The disloyal baseball player sold out to another team.
7. To betray someone or something, especially for money: The manager sold out his staff in order to keep his own job. Our agent sold us out when she moved to a better company and dropped us as a client.
See also: out, sell
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

sellout

1. n. the event of selling all of something. (Advertising.) Come to our gigantic sellout of all name-brand merchandise!
2. n. a betrayal. (see also sell someone out.) Any one of you could have stood up for me. What a sellout!
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • sell out
  • sell someone out
  • sold out
  • angle
  • angling
  • not do (someone or oneself) any favors
  • involve with
  • involve with (someone or something)
  • involved with
  • arrange for
References in periodicals archive
The second half of The Sellout threatens to get lost in the love affair between the narrator and Marpessa.
Paul Beatty. The Sellout
Both sellout and IPO firms benefit from access to public debt and equity markets (in the case of the sellout, through the parent).
Moving from private to public ownership: selling out to public firms versus initial public offerings
Brown said: "Aberdeen fans were behind Sellout Saturday from the off and I think it's a wonderful idea.
WELL DON; SELLOUT SATURDAY GET INVOLVED! Pittodrie stars backing fans' bid to fill every stadium in Scotland
Those numbers were bolstered by sellouts -- 7 in all -- with four clubs (Twins, A's, Red Sox, Cubs) going over 100 percent into standing-room-only.
MLB Attendance Tracker for Sun 6/19: Father's Day, Interleague Pushes Attendance Up 12% on Same Day in 2010
The sellout is all the more impressive given the fact the city now has more hotel rooms than ever before, with 3,000 available for those travelling to the August 27-29 event
Hotels full for festival
Pupils at the school in Sodens Avenue, Ryton, performed three sellout shows last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Audience mad for musical
We played a show in Long Island on this tour and these two kids came and stood in front of me the whole show, said my lyrics back to me, called me a sellout, and put their hands on my guitar to stop me from playing.
Against me!
On the sellout front, it shouldn't be surprising that the Cubs sold out Wrigley Field with the Yankees in town, but the biggest benefactor was the Athletics who had the cross Bay rivals in the World Champion San Francisco Giants at Overstock.com Stadium.
MLB Attendance Tracker for Fri 6/17: MLB Hits it Out of the Park on First Day of Second Interleague
Ballymena secretary Don Stirling said: "We expect to sell in the region of 3,500 tickets so the match should be a sellout."
Football: SKY BLUES GO FOR SELL-OUT
Box office staff at Warwick Arts Centre were preparing for a record sellout and callers were being limited to four tickets because of the high demand.
Limit on tickets to see Gervais; SHOW HAS HUGE PULL
The Brewers, now in the thick of the NL Central race, continued to be a darling on the attendance front posting yet another sellout in one of league's smallest markets.
MLB Attendance Tracker for Sun 6/12: As Summer Hits, Turnstiles Begin to Click
SLANE has become one of the biggest annual concerts in the music world, famed for its huge sellout crowds and superstar names.
WE'RE NOT SO CRAZY FOR YOU; FEARS FANS ARE SHUNNING MADGE SLANE GIG
Are you ever concerned about being called a sellout?
Beenie Man
There were 3 sellouts, but two were expected (Giants have sold out every home game this season, and Red Sox) with the Angels being the lone sellout that was good news for the club (two days in a row).
MLB Attendance Tracker for Sun 6/5: The Let Down from Sat, the Sunday Prior