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Meaning & use

sell-out crowd

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈsel aʊt ˌkraʊd/
US/ˈsel aʊt ˌkraʊd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A crowd that fills a venue completely because all the tickets have been sold.

    Grammar: Countable: 'a sell-out crowd', 'sell-out crowds'. Use 'a' or a plural; it describes the crowd, not the event.

    Patterns

    • a sell-out crowd
    • a sell-out crowd of <number>
    • play in front of a sell-out crowd

    The band played to a sell-out crowd at the stadium.

    A sell-out crowd of 40,000 watched the final.

    The team thanked the sell-out crowd for their support.

  2. nouncountableinformal

    A group of people who fill a place for a show or event, used especially in sports and entertainment reports.

    Grammar: Often used in news reports: 'a sell-out crowd'. It can also be used figuratively for a very full room.

    Patterns

    • a sell-out crowd
    • a sell-out crowd at <place>
    • a sell-out crowd for <event>

    The comedian performed to a sell-out crowd in London.

    There was a sell-out crowd for the opening night.

    The sell-out crowd cheered as the players came out.

Word forms

pluralsell-out crowds

Common combinations

a sell-out crowd of 50,000
A sell-out crowd of 50,000 filled the arena.
play to a sell-out crowd
The band played to a sell-out crowd on Saturday.
a sell-out crowd at the stadium
There was a sell-out crowd at the stadium for the derby.
a sell-out crowd for the concert
We expect a sell-out crowd for the concert.

Synonyms and how they differ

full house
A full house means every seat is taken, but it often refers to the audience or the event itself, not just the crowd.
capacity crowd
A capacity crowd emphasizes that the venue is filled to its official limit; 'sell-out crowd' emphasizes that all tickets were sold.
packed house
A packed house is informal and means a very full venue; it does not necessarily mean all tickets were sold.

Opposites

empty stadiumsparse crowd

Word family

sell out phrasal verb
To sell all the tickets for an event: 'The concert sold out in minutes.'
sell-out noun
An event for which all tickets are sold: 'The show was a sell-out.'
sold out adjective
Having no tickets left: 'The game is sold out.'

Commonly confused: sell-out crowd or sellout? sell-out crowd or sell out?

sell-out crowd vs sellout

As one word, 'sellout' can mean an event with no tickets left, or (disapproving) a person who betrays their principles. 'Sell-out crowd' is the phrase for the audience.

sell-out crowd vs sell out

This is a verb phrase: 'The tickets sold out.' The noun phrase is 'sell-out crowd'.

Practice

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