: the sale of commodities in quantity usually for resale (as by a retail merchant)
1
: performed or existing on a large scale especially without discrimination
wholesale slaughter
2
: of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of commodities in quantity for resale
a wholesale grocer
: in a wholesale manner
wholesaled; wholesaling
: to sell (something) in quantity usually for resale
: to sell in quantity usually for resale
Examples of wholesale in a Sentence
Adjective
The crops originated from wholesale growers.
Is that price retail or wholesale?
Verb
The company wholesales clothing to boutiques in the area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 1 Aug. 2024
Second, consider how arguments about discrimination against Asian Americans and other Asian people were used to attack affirmative action wholesale.
—Robert L. Nelson, Scientific American, 30 July 2024
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2024
Columbia Sportswear’s second quarter wasn’t its best, but its Fall 2024 order book suggests sequential improvement in the quarters ahead for wholesale sales.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 1 Aug. 2024
Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012
ByteStyle, the company’s code of values, preaches a culture that could have been lifted wholesale from Google or Amazon: diverse, inclusive, radically honest and transparent.
—Alex W. Palmer, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022
Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 11 July 2024
The collection is being wholesaled with showroom appointments in Milan and Paris.
—Martino Carrera, WWD, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for wholesale 
Noun
In many cases this means eliminating or downsizing the role of wholesale in the business plan, as is the case at (di)vision and Caro Editions.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 1 Aug. 2024
Second, consider how arguments about discrimination against Asian Americans and other Asian people were used to attack affirmative action wholesale.
—Robert L. Nelson, Scientific American, 30 July 2024
Adjective
Under a federal program, pharmacies serving underprivileged populations can buy drugs directly from manufacturers at substantial discounts but seek reimbursement from insurers for the full wholesale price.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2024
Columbia Sportswear’s second quarter wasn’t its best, but its Fall 2024 order book suggests sequential improvement in the quarters ahead for wholesale sales.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 1 Aug. 2024
Adverb
It got picked up wholesale from blog to blog and Tumblr to Tumblr so rapidly that the pedigree of it got lost.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012
ByteStyle, the company’s code of values, preaches a culture that could have been lifted wholesale from Google or Amazon: diverse, inclusive, radically honest and transparent.
—Alex W. Palmer, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022
Verb
The company also wholesales its collection to stores such as Kith, Revolve, Ounass, Flannels, along with smaller stores in Nantucket, Mass., New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
—Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 11 July 2024
The collection is being wholesaled with showroom appointments in Milan and Paris.
—Martino Carrera, WWD, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for wholesale
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wholesale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wholesale
Cite this Entry
“Wholesale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholesale. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wholesale
1 of 3 noun
whole·sale
ˈhōl-ˌsāl 
: the sale of goods in large quantity usually for resale (as by a store owner)
wholesale
2 of 3 adjective1
: of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of goods in quantity for resale
a wholesale grocer
wholesale prices
2
: done on a large scale : general
wholesale changes in the team's roster
wholesale
adverb
wholesale
3 of 3 verb
wholesaled; wholesaling
: to sell usually in large amounts for resale
wholesaler
noun
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