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Meaning & use

sales

noun, adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/seɪlz/
US/seɪlz/

Meanings

  1. nounpluralbusiness

    The amount of goods or services a business sells, or the money it earns from selling them.

    Grammar: Usually takes a plural verb: sales were up.

    Patterns

    • sales of something
    • sales rise

    Sales rose sharply after the holiday campaign.

    Online sales of shoes doubled last year.

    The company reported lower sales than expected.

  2. noununcountablebusiness

    The department or work of selling things to customers.

    Grammar: Takes a singular verb: sales is a tough job.

    Patterns

    • work in sales
    • a sales job

    She works in sales for a software company.

    He moved from marketing to sales last year.

    Sales is mostly about listening to customers.

  3. nounplural

    Events at which goods are offered at lower prices than usual for a limited time.

    Grammar: Plural of sale in this sense: the winter sales.

    Patterns

    • the sales
    • in the sales

    I bought this coat in the January sales.

    The summer sales begin on Friday.

    Shoppers lined up outside before the sales opened.

  4. adjectivebefore a noun

    Used before a noun to describe people, figures or methods related to selling.

    Grammar: Appears before nouns: a sales manager.

    Patterns

    • sales team
    • sales figures

    The sales team met every Monday morning.

    Sales figures for March are available.

    She attended a sales training course.

Common combinations

sales figures
The sales figures were better than expected.
boost sales
The new advert helped boost sales.
sales team
The sales team traveled to meet clients.
online sales
Online sales grew by 30 percent.
sales target
They met their sales target early.

Synonyms and how they differ

revenue
Revenue is the money a business takes in overall, while sales may refer to numbers of items sold.
turnover
Turnover is the British word for the total value sold, often used in company accounts.
discounts
Discounts are reductions in price, whereas sales are the events that offer them.
selling
Selling is the act itself, while sales names the totals or the department.

Opposites

purchases

Word family

sale noun
an act of selling or a discount event
sell verb
to give goods for money
salesman noun
a man who sells goods
salesperson noun
a person who sells goods
seller noun
a person who sells

Commonly confused: sales or sells?

sales vs sells

Sells is a verb form, as in the shop sells shoes; sales is a noun.

Practice

After the new advertising campaign, ____ of the product rose by 20 percent.

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