closeout sale

Meaning

1. 1nouncountableAmericanbusiness

   A sale in which a store lowers prices sharply to sell all remaining stock, often because it is closing or dropping a product line.

   Grammar: Countable: the store is holding a closeout sale.

   Patterns

   • a closeout sale on something
   • hold a closeout sale

   The furniture shop is holding a closeout sale before it shuts for good.

   We bought three winter coats at a closeout sale last spring.

   The bookstore's closeout sale took half off every title.

Word forms

Common combinations

hold a closeout sale

The company will hold a closeout sale in March.

a closeout sale price

The sofa was a bargain at the closeout sale price.

final closeout sale

The final closeout sale starts on Friday.

a store closeout sale

A store closeout sale usually draws a crowd.

closeout sale items

Closeout sale items cannot be returned.

Synonyms and how they differ

clearance sale

Clearance sale is the most general term and does not always mean the shop is closing.

going-out-of-business sale

Going-out-of-business sale makes it clear the shop is shutting for good, which closeout sale does not always do.

liquidation sale

Liquidation sale is more formal and suggests a court or business process, while closeout sale is an everyday phrase.

fire sale

Fire sale suggests an urgent sale at very low prices, usually after a crisis, rather than a planned event.

Opposites

Word family

closeout noun

a product sold off cheaply at the end of its run

close out phrasal verb

to sell off remaining stock or end an account

sale noun

a time when goods cost less than usual

Commonly confused: closeout sale or yard sale?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “closeout sale”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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