Meaning & use
oversold
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Sold more tickets or shares than are available.
Grammar: Often used in the passive: The flight was oversold. Also used actively: They oversold the concert.
Patterns
- oversell something
- be oversold
The airline oversold the flight, so they asked for volunteers to take a later plane.
The concert was oversold, and many fans were turned away.
The hotel oversold its rooms and had to find guests alternative accommodation.
verbtransitivefigurative
Praised or promoted something more than it deserved.
Grammar: Often used in the passive: The product was oversold. Takes an object: oversell a product.
Patterns
- oversell something
- be oversold
The movie was oversold by critics, and I found it disappointing.
Politicians often oversell the benefits of new policies.
The benefits of the diet were oversold, leading to unrealistic expectations.
adjectivenot comparablefinancetechnical
Describing a stock or market that has fallen too far and may soon rise.
Grammar: Used mainly in financial contexts, often before a noun: an oversold stock; the market is oversold.
Patterns
- an oversold stock
- the market is oversold
Technical analysts believe the stock is oversold and due for a rebound.
After the sharp decline, the market was oversold and investors started buying.
He looks for oversold stocks that have strong fundamentals.
Word forms
| base form | oversell |
|---|---|
| third person singular | oversells |
| past tense | oversold |
| past participle | oversold |
| -ing form | overselling |
Common combinations
- oversold flight
- The oversold flight left several passengers stranded.
- be oversold on
- I was oversold on the idea of buying a timeshare.
- oversold market
- The oversold market presented a buying opportunity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overbooked
- Overbooked is used for reservations (flights, hotels) and is more specific; oversold can also mean overpraised.
- overhyped
- Overhyped means promoted too much, similar to the second sense of oversold, but overhyped is more informal.
Opposites
Word family
- oversell verb
- To sell more than is available or to praise too much.
- overselling noun
- The act of selling too much or praising too much.
Commonly confused: oversold or undersold?
oversold vs undersold
Undersold means sold too cheaply or praised too little; oversold is the opposite.
Practice
What does 'oversold' mean in the sentence: 'The flight was oversold, so they offered vouchers to passengers willing to wait.'?
Choose one answer.
Oversold means more tickets were sold than available seats, which is why they needed volunteers to wait. Option B is about cancellation, not overselling. Option C is about price, not quantity. Option D is about ownership, not ticket sales.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “oversold”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.