Wholesale is the activity of buying and selling goods in large quantities and therefore at cheaper prices, usually to shopkeepers who then sell them to the public. Compare retail.
[business]
Warehouse clubs allow members to buy goods at wholesale prices.
I am in the wholesale trade.
2. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
If something is sold wholesale, it is sold in large quantities and at cheaper prices, usually to shopkeepers.
[business]
The fabrics are sold wholesale to retailers, fashion houses, and other manufacturers. [+ to]
Synonyms: extensively, comprehensively, across the board, all at once More Synonyms of wholesale
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You use wholesale to describe the destruction, removal, or changing of something when it affects a very large number of things or people.
[emphasis]
They are only doing what is necessary to prevent wholesale destruction of vegetation.
Wholesale is also an adverb.
More Synonyms of wholesale
wholesale in British English
(ˈhəʊlˌseɪl)
noun
1.
the business of selling goods to retailers in larger quantities than they are sold to final consumers but in smaller quantities than they are purchased from manufacturers
Compare retail (sense 1)
2. at wholesale
adjective
3.
of, relating to, or engaged in such business
4.
made, done, etc, on a large scale or without discrimination
adverb
5.
on a large scale or without discrimination
verb
6.
to sell (goods) at wholesale
Derived forms
wholesaler (ˈwholeˌsaler)
noun
wholesale in American English
(ˈhoʊlˌseɪl)
noun
1.
the selling of goods in relatively large quantities and usually at lower prices than at retail, esp. such selling to retailers for resale to consumers
adjective
2.
of, connected with, or engaged in such selling
wholesale prices
3.
extensive, sweeping, or indiscriminate
wholesale criticism
adverb
4.
in wholesale amounts or at wholesale prices
5.
extensively, sweepingly, or indiscriminately
to reject proposals wholesale
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈwholeˌsaled or ˈwholeˌsaling
6.
to sell wholesale
Idioms:
at wholesale
by wholesale
Derived forms
wholesaler (ˈwholeˌsaler)
noun
Word origin
ME holesale (< phr. by hole sale, by wholesale): see whole & sale
wholesale in Retail1
(hoʊlseɪl)
noun
(Retail: General)
Wholesale is the business of buying goods in large quantities from manufacturers or producers and selling smaller quantities to retailers, who will then sell smaller quantities to their customers.
This tends not to be a start-up kind of business, but if retail doesn't appeal toyou and you really want to work in the industry, then perhaps wholesale is right for you.
Within ten years they had built a large and highly profitable wholesale business, selling to the industrial users of electronic equipment.
Wholesale is the business of buying goods in large quantities from manufacturers or producersand selling smaller quantities to retailers, who will then sell smaller quantitiesto their customers.
at wholesale
wholesale in Retail2
(hoʊlseɪl)
adverb
(Retail: General)
Goods bought and sold wholesale are bought and sold in large quantities, usually at a cheaper price than retail goods.
COLLOCATIONS: buy ~sell ~
The fabrics are sold wholesale to retailers, fashion houses, and other manufacturers.
If you choose to sell wholesale, first visit potential retailers who might be interested in your products.
Goods bought and sold wholesale are bought and sold in large quantities, usually at a cheaper price than retail goods.
wholesale in Retail3
(hoʊlseɪl)
adjective
(Retail: General)
A wholesale business is a business that sells in large quantities to another business that willresell the items or use them for manufacturing.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ business~ price
The company decided to press its suppliers for lower prices and pass on any wholesale price increases to its customer.
The company also operates a wholesale business, supplying T-shirts and other casual wear to distributors and screen printers.
A wholesale business is a business that sells in large quantities to another business that willresell the items or use them for manufacturing.
wholesale in Retail4
(hoʊlseɪl)
Word forms: (present) wholesales, (past) wholesaled, (perfect) eholesaled, (progressive) wholesaling
verb
(Retail: General)
Companies and individuals that wholesale products operate wholesale businesses that buy the products from manufacturers and producers and sellthem on to retailers.
The company had been wholesaling Christmas trees for some time but switched to retailing them last year when theyacquired a new retail outlet.
The fashion house has signed a distribution deal for its catwalk collections andwill now wholesale both its men's and women's ranges, starting next year.
Companies and individuals that wholesale products operate wholesale businesses that buy the products from manufacturers andproducers and sell them on to retailers.
wholesale in Accounting
(hoʊlseɪl)
adjective
(Accounting: Commerce)
A wholesale business is a business that sells in large quantities to another business that willresell the items or use them for manufacturing.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ business~ price
The company decided to press its suppliers for lower prices and to pass on any wholesale price increases to its customers.
Within ten years they had built a large and highly profitable wholesale business, selling to the industrial users of electronic equipment.
If you talk about a wholesale business, price, or sale, you mean a business that sells in large quantities to anotherbusiness that will resell the items or use them as materials in manufacturing, ora price or sale when you are selling to another business.
Examples of 'wholesale' in a sentence
wholesale
Wholesale prices have already nearly doubled in the past year due to supply shortages.
The Sun (2016)
Wholesale energy prices have risen because of the weak pound and partial recovery in oil prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The big suppliers waited until last winter was over before lowering prices after a slump in wholesale costs.
The Sun (2016)
Electricity wholesale prices are up 41 %.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Of course, the review is welcome but what we really need is a wholesale change in approach.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A weak pound is also pushing up the wholesale cost of fuel.
The Sun (2016)
It supplies medicines and medical equipment to oil rigs and the shipping industry, and has a wholesale and distribution business.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Wholesale electricity prices have increased sharply in recent months, driving expectations that energy suppliers may be forced to increase bills to consumers.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The price increase comes after warnings that smaller energy companies are struggling financially, following a rise in wholesale gas and electricity prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The retail, wholesale, hospitality and accommodation industries said they were particularly badly affected.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It also has a distribution and wholesale pharmacy business.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
That is around three times the current wholesale price of electricity.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The companies blame rising wholesale prices for energy.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
At this point we should ask ourselves what we mean by wholesale trade.
Aganbegyan, Abel Inside Perestroika: The Future of the Soviet Economy (1990)
They argue that they need at least double the wholesale electricity cost to make money.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Giving classic texts a modern makeover is becoming an increasingly wholesale activity.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We expected wholesale changes in the team and a dressing down.
Leo McKinstry Sir Alf: A Major Reappraisal of the Life and Times of England's Greatest FootballManager (2006)
His parents ran a wholesale computer business.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It will be the next generation that pay for these very high wholesale prices of electricity.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Retail profits may have been reduced by increases in wholesale prices.
The Sun (2011)
But figures show diesel now costs less at wholesale than unleaded.
The Sun (2015)
There will not be wholesale changes at the club.
The Sun (2011)
To see her image lifted wholesale to sell clothes was a wrench were not expecting or consulted on.
The Sun (2012)
Wholesale distributors proposed the bill, saying it would keep wine from minors.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The company does not make scooters, but imports and sells them wholesale and direct.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Present wholesale prices to buy power are about 33 per megawatt hour.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But still there were shortages, because there was no wholesale trade.
Aganbegyan, Abel Inside Perestroika: The Future of the Soviet Economy (1990)
In the retail and wholesale industries it dropped by 0.9 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He reckons that these scooters sell wholesale for 1,200.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He then moved into the lucrative world of wholesale pharmaceuticals, buying and selling generic medicines.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The English Reformation was a time of wholesale destruction.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
wholesale
British English: wholesale /ˈhəʊlˌseɪl/ ADJECTIVE
Wholesale goods are bought cheaply in large quantities and then sold again to shops.
Wholesale prices have fallen over the past year.
American English: wholesale
Arabic: بِالـجُمْلَة
Brazilian Portuguese: por atacado
Chinese: 批发的
Croatian: na veliko
Czech: velkoobchodní
Danish: en gros
Dutch: groothandel-
European Spanish: al por mayor
Finnish: tukku-
French: en gros
German: Großhandels-
Greek: χονδρικός
Italian: all’ingrosso
Japanese: 卸売りの
Korean: 도매의
Norwegian: en gros
Polish: hurtowy
European Portuguese: por grosso
Romanian: en gros
Russian: оптовый
Latin American Spanish: mayorista
Swedish: grossistförsäljning
Thai: โดยการขายส่ง
Turkish: toptan satış
Ukrainian: оптовий
Vietnamese: bán sỉ
British English: wholesale /ˈhəʊlˌseɪl/ NOUN
Wholesale is the activity of buying and selling goods in large quantities and therefore at cheaper prices, usually to shopkeepers who then sell them to the public.
American English: wholesale
Arabic: بَيْعٌ بِالـجُمْلَة
Brazilian Portuguese: venda no atacado
Chinese: 批发
Croatian: veleprodaja
Czech: velkoobchod
Danish: engroshandel
Dutch: groothandel
European Spanish: mayorista
Finnish: tukkukauppa
French: vente en gros
German: Großhandel
Greek: χονδρεμπόριο
Italian: vendita all’ingrosso
Japanese: 卸売り
Korean: 도매
Norwegian: engrossalg
Polish: sprzedaż hurtowa
European Portuguese: venda por grosso
Romanian: vânzare cu ridicata
Russian: оптовая торговля
Latin American Spanish: mayorista
Swedish: grossistförsäljning
Thai: การขายส่ง
Turkish: toptan
Ukrainian: оптова торгівля
Vietnamese: việc bán sỉ
Chinese translation of 'wholesale'
wholesale
(ˈhəulseɪl)
n(c)
批发(發) (pīfā)
adj
[price, market]批发(發)的 (pīfā de)
(= widespread) 大规(規)模的 (dàguīmó de)
adv
[buy, sell]以批发(發)价(價) (yǐ pīfājià)
(adjective)
Definition
extensive or indiscriminate
the wholesale destruction of life on this planet
Synonyms
extensive
The blast caused extensive damage.
total
The car was in a total mess.
I mean I'm not a total idiot.
mass
ideas on combating mass unemployment
sweeping
sweeping economic reforms
broad
A broad range of issues was discussed.
comprehensive
The book is a comprehensive guide to the region.
wide-ranging
a package of wide-ranging economic reforms
blanket
the blanket coverage of the Olympics
outright
He told me an outright lie.
far-reaching
far-reaching reforms on human rights
indiscriminate
the indiscriminate arrests during the protests
all-inclusive
Opposites
limited
,
restricted
,
confined
,
partial
, discriminate,
selective
(adverb)
Definition
extensively or indiscriminately
These timetable changes cannot simply be applied wholesale.
Synonyms
extensively
comprehensively
across the board
all at once
indiscriminately
without exception
on a large scale
Additional synonyms
in the sense of blanket
Definition
applying to or covering a wide group or variety of people, conditions, situations, etc.
the blanket coverage of the Olympics
Synonyms
comprehensive,
full,
complete,
wide,
sweeping,
broad,
extensive,
wide-ranging,
thorough,
inclusive,
exhaustive,
all-inclusive,
all-embracing
in the sense of broad
Definition
extensive
A broad range of issues was discussed.
Synonyms
full,
general,
comprehensive,
complete,
wide,
global,
catholic,
sweeping,
extensive,
wide-ranging,
umbrella,
thorough,
unlimited,
inclusive,
far-reaching,
exhaustive,
all-inclusive,
all-embracing,
overarching,
encyclopedic
in the sense of comprehensive
Definition
of broad scope or content
The book is a comprehensive guide to the region.
Synonyms
broad,
full,
complete,
wide,
catholic,
sweeping,
extensive,
blanket,
umbrella,
thorough,
inclusive,
exhaustive,
all-inclusive,
all-embracing,
overarching,
encyclopedic
Synonyms of 'wholesale'
wholesale
Explore 'wholesale' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of far-reaching
Definition
extensive in influence, effect, or range
far-reaching reforms on human rights
Synonyms
extensive,
important,
significant,
sweeping,
broad,
widespread,
pervasive,
momentous
in the sense of indiscriminate
Definition
lacking discrimination or careful choice
the indiscriminate arrests during the protests
Synonyms
random,
general,
wholesale,
mixed,
sweeping,
confused,
chaotic,
careless,
mingled,
jumbled,
miscellaneous,
promiscuous,
motley,
haphazard,
uncritical,
aimless,
desultory,
hit or miss (informal),
higgledy-piggledy (informal),
undiscriminating,
unsystematic,
unselective,
undistinguishable,
unmethodical,
scattershot
in the sense of mass
Definition
done or occurring on a large scale
ideas on combating mass unemployment
Synonyms
large-scale,
general,
popular,
widespread,
extensive,
universal,
wholesale,
indiscriminate,
pandemic
in the sense of outright
Definition
complete
He told me an outright lie.
Synonyms
absolute,
complete,
total,
direct,
perfect,
pure,
sheer,
utter,
thorough,
wholesale,
unconditional,
downright,
consummate,
unqualified,
undeniable,
out-and-out,
unadulterated,
unmitigated,
thoroughgoing,
unalloyed,
arrant,
deep-dyed
in the sense of sweeping
Definition
affecting many people to a great extent
sweeping economic reforms
Synonyms
wide-ranging,
global,
comprehensive,
wide,
broad,
radical,
extensive,
all-inclusive,
all-embracing,
overarching,
thoroughgoing
in the sense of total
Definition
complete
The car was in a total mess.I mean I'm not a total idiot.
Synonyms
complete,
absolute,
utter,
whole,
perfect,
entire,
sheer,
outright,
all-out,
thorough,
unconditional,
downright (derogatory),
undisputed,
consummate,
unqualified,
out-and-out,
undivided,
overarching,
unmitigated,
thoroughgoing,
arrant (derogatory),
deep-dyed (derogatory)
in the sense of wide-ranging
Definition
covering or including many different things or subjects