Meaning & use
table top sale
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
An event where people set up stalls on tables to sell second-hand goods, often to raise money for a charity.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a table top sale' or 'table top sales'.
Patterns
- hold a table top sale
- at a table top sale
The village hall is holding a table top sale on Saturday morning.
I found a vintage teapot at a table top sale for just two pounds.
She sold her old books and toys at a table top sale to raise money for the school.
Word forms
| plural | table top sales |
|---|
Common combinations
- hold a table top sale
- The church will hold a table top sale to fund roof repairs.
- at a table top sale
- We bought a set of chairs at a table top sale.
- charity table top sale
- There's a charity table top sale in the community center.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jumble sale
- A British term for a similar event selling miscellaneous second-hand items, often for charity; 'table top sale' specifically suggests goods displayed on tables.
- yard sale
- Used in American English for a sale of personal goods in someone's yard; 'table top sale' is usually indoors and more organized.
- car boot sale
- British; people sell from the trunks of their cars, whereas a table top sale uses tables indoors.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'table top sale' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A table top sale is an event, so it can be held and raise money. Option A confuses the event with buying a table; option C uses it as a verb (it is a noun); option D uses it to describe a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “table top sale”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.