sale

/seɪl/ (bre, ipa) · /seɪl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsāl/ (ame, mw)

sale — 名詞

  • salesingular
  • salesplural

1. a situation in which someone gives a product or service to another person in exc

1.名詞A2
釋義

出售；銷售

以金錢交換物品的行為

a situation in which someone gives a product or service to another person in exchange for money

例句

Christopher completed the sale of his old car last Thursday afternoon.

Christopher 上週四下午完成了他的舊車出售手續。

the sale of [something]

Putri made her first sale at the weekend market on Saturday morning.

Putri 在週六早晨的週末市集賣出了她的第一件商品。

make a sale

同義詞
  • transaction

    more formal, often used in business or legal contexts

  • deal

    more informal, can refer to any business arrangement

  • purchase

    views the exchange from the buyer's side rather than the seller's

反義詞
  • purchase

    same transaction but from the buyer's perspective

文法句型

a/the sale of [something]

make a sale

用法筆記

Countable — you can say 'a sale' or 'the sale'. Frequently used with 'of' to specify what is sold.

常見錯誤

❌I made sale of my phone.
✅I made a sale of my phone.
💡'sale' is a countable noun and needs an article or determiner.
❌The sale of this year are good.
✅Sales this year are good.
💡use the plural 'sales' for overall business results.

2. used when a product, house, or other item is being offered so that people can bu

2.名詞A2
釋義

出售中；待售

可供購買的狀態

used when a product, house, or other item is being offered so that people can buy it

例句

The house on Elm Street has been for sale for nearly six months.

Elm 街上的那棟房子已經掛牌出售將近六個月了。

be for sale

Asher put his mountain bike up for sale after buying a new one.

Asher 買了新腳踏車之後，就把他的登山車拿出來出售。

put [something] up for sale

同義詞
  • available

    broader meaning — not limited to purchase contexts

  • on the market

    common for houses and property; slightly less direct

反義詞

文法句型

[be] for sale

put [something] up for sale

用法筆記

Used as a fixed adjectival phrase after 'be' verbs. 'For sale' indicates availability for purchase, whereas 'on sale' means being offered at a reduced price.

常見錯誤

❌This car for sell.
✅This car is for sale.
💡the fixed form is 'for sale', not 'for sell'.
❌The product is on sale' (when you mean it is available).
✅The product is for sale.
💡'on sale' means discounted; 'for sale' means available to buy.

3. the job of convincing people to become customers and pay for what a business off

3.名詞B1
釋義

銷售業務

推銷產品或服務的工作或部門

the job of convincing people to become customers and pay for what a business offers, or the group within a company that handles this job

例句

Selim works in sales for a large technology company based in Taipei.

Selim 在一家總部設在台北的大型科技公司從事銷售工作。

work in sales

The sales team at Jude's company exceeded their target for the quarter.

Jude 公司的銷售團隊達成了本季的目標。

sales team

同義詞
  • marketing

    related but broader — includes advertising, branding, and market research

  • selling

    more direct and informal; focuses on the act rather than the profession

  • business development

    more formal, often focuses on long-term growth

文法句型

work in sales

a sales team/department

用法筆記

Uncountable when referring to the activity ('Sales is a challenging career'); the department can take a singular or plural verb depending on British or American usage.

常見錯誤

❌Sale department called about your order.
✅The sales department called about your order.
💡use the plural form 'sales' when referring to the department.
❌Sales are a difficult job.
✅Sales is a difficult job.
💡when referring to the field or activity, treat it as singular.

4. the amount or quantity of a particular product that has been bought by customers

4.名詞B1
釋義

銷售量；銷路

已售出產品的數量

the amount or quantity of a particular product that has been bought by customers during a period of time

例句

Sales of electric cars increased sharply in Taiwan this year.

今年台灣的電動車銷售量大幅成長。

sales of [something]

The company reported strong sales for its newest smartphone model.

該公司報告說其最新款手機的銷售量表現強勁。

同義詞
  • revenue

    focuses on money earned, not units sold

  • turnover

    the total amount of business done in a period; more formal

  • demand

    refers to customer interest rather than actual sales figures

文法句型

sales of [something]

[something] sales

用法筆記

Always plural ('sales'). Used with a plural verb. Often modified by adjectives like 'strong', 'weak', 'rising', or 'falling'.

常見錯誤

❌Sale of smartphones are up.
✅Sales of smartphones are up.
💡use the plural 'sales' when talking about numbers sold.
❌The sales has increased.
✅Sales have increased.
💡always treat as plural.

5. an event where items are sold to collect money for a particular purpose, such as

5.名詞B1
釋義

義賣活動

為特定目的籌款的販售活動

an event where items are sold to collect money for a particular purpose, such as helping a school or a charity

例句

Our neighbourhood held a bake sale to raise money for the school library.

我們社區舉辦了一場烘焙義賣活動，為學校圖書館募款。

hold a bake sale

The church organised a charity sale to help families in need.

教會組織了一場慈善義賣來幫助有需要的家庭。

charity sale

同義詞
  • fundraiser

    broader term — can include events other than selling items

  • charity event

    any event held for charitable purposes, not necessarily involving sales

文法句型

a [type] sale

hold a sale

用法筆記

Countable — 'a sale' or 'the sale'. Often combined with a prefix describing the type of items or purpose, such as 'bake sale', 'garage sale', 'book sale', or 'charity sale'.

常見錯誤

❌We are having sale for charity.
✅We are having a sale for charity.
💡add an article before 'sale' when it is countable.
❌The bake sale were successful.
✅The bake sale was successful.
💡treat a single event as singular.

6. a public event where items are sold to the person who offers the highest amount

6.名詞B1
釋義

拍賣

公開競標出售物品

a public event where items are sold to the person who offers the highest amount of money for them

例句

Christopher bought an antique clock at an auction in the city centre.

Christopher 在市中心的一場拍賣會上買了一只古董鐘。

at an auction

The auction of rare coins attracted collectors from all over Asia.

這場稀有錢幣的拍賣吸引了來自亞洲各地的收藏家。

the auction of [something]

同義詞
  • auction

    more precise and internationally understood synonym

  • public sale

    emphasises that anyone can participate

文法句型

at an auction

a sale by auction

go to auction

用法筆記

Countable. In British English, 'sale' alone can mean 'auction'. In American English, 'auction' is more clearly distinguished from other types of sale. Often used in the phrase 'sale by auction'.

常見錯誤

❌I bought this at sale.
✅I bought this at an auction.' or 'I bought this at a sale.
💡be clear whether you mean an auction or a discount sale.
❌The painting sells auction.
✅The painting will be sold at auction.' or 'The painting goes to auction.
💡use a preposition.

7. A product is on sale when a shop has it in its store and customers are able to p

7.名詞B1
釋義

上市；有售

商店中可購買的

A product is on sale when a shop has it in its store and customers are able to purchase it there.

例句

The new video game console goes on sale next Friday across the country.

新款遊戲機將於下週五在全國上市。

go on sale + time reference

Ayana checked three different shops, but the winter coat was not on sale yet.

Ayana 跑了三家不同的店，但那件冬季外套還沒上架。

on sale (available) in a shop context

同義詞
  • available

    broader term — 'on sale' specifically means available in a shop setting

  • in stock

    focuses on a shop currently having the item, not just being available to buy

反義詞
  • unavailable

    general opposite; 'sold out' is more specific for shops

  • sold out

    means the shop has no more of the product at all

用法筆記

Frequently used in the fixed expressions 'on sale' and 'go on sale'. British English only — American English uses 'go on sale' also for sense 10 (discounted); context clarifies which meaning is intended. Often followed by a time or location reference.

8. A business arrangement in which a shop can order goods and send back any items i

8.名詞C1
釋義

寄售制

未售出商品可退還供應商的協議

A business arrangement in which a shop can order goods and send back any items it does not sell, without having to pay for them.

例句

The bookshop agreed to take the new magazines on a sale-or-return basis from the publisher.

書店同意以寄售制的方式向出版社進新雜誌。

sale-or-return basis

Smaller clothing shops prefer sale-or-return agreements because they reduce financial risk.

小型服飾店偏愛寄售制協議，因為這樣可以降低財務風險。

同義詞
  • consignment

    broader concept — sale or return is one type of consignment arrangement

用法筆記

Used mainly in publishing, fashion, and wholesale trade. The phrase is typically hyphenated as an adjective ('sale-or-return agreement') and unhyphenated as a noun phrase ('on sale or return').

常見錯誤

❌The items are sale and return.
✅The items are on sale or return.
💡the correct fixed phrase includes 'or', not 'and'.

9. A period of time when a shop sells goods at lower prices than usual, often to cl

9.名詞A2
釋義

特賣；大減價

商店降價出售商品的活動

A period of time when a shop sells goods at lower prices than usual, often to clear old stock.

例句

The department store has a big summer sale with up to fifty percent off everything.

那家百貨公司舉辦夏季大特賣，所有商品最高打五折。

summer sale + percentage off

Putri bought her winter coat in the January sales at almost half the original price.

Putri 在元旦大減價期間以幾乎原價一半的價格買到她的冬季外套。

the January sales

同義詞
  • clearance

    specifically a sale to clear old or unwanted stock, often with deeper discounts

  • bargain event

    informal term for any sales period

用法筆記

In British English, 'the sales' (plural) often refers to major seasonal discount periods such as the January sales or summer sales. 'Sale' (singular) can refer to any individual discount event at a shop.

常見錯誤

❌I bought it on sale.' (when referring to a discount event in British English)
✅I bought it in the sale.
💡British English uses 'in the sale'; American English uses 'on sale' for this meaning.

10. Available at a lower price than the normal price, usually for a limited time.

10.名詞A2
釋義

特價；降價

以低於正常價格銷售

Available at a lower price than the normal price, usually for a limited time.

例句

All kitchen appliances are on sale this week at the supermarket near my house.

我家附近的超市本週所有廚房家電都在特價。

on sale + limited time period

Ilan bought a new laptop on sale for almost half the normal retail price.

Ilan 以幾乎正常零售價一半的價格買了一台特價新筆電。

同義詞
  • discounted

    more general term; 'on sale' specifically implies a temporary promotion

  • reduced

    more neutral, not necessarily time-limited

反義詞

用法筆記

This is the American English meaning of 'on sale'. In British English, the same idea is usually expressed as 'in the sale' (sense 9) or 'reduced'. To say an item is discounted, American speakers say 'it is on sale'; British speakers say 'it is in the sale' or 'it has been reduced'.

常見錯誤

❌The coat is in sale.
✅The coat is on sale.
💡the correct preposition is 'on', not 'in', for this sense.

❌ 'The coat is on sale.' (meaning discounted, in British English) — A British speaker might misunderstand this as 'the coat is available for purchase'. In British English, use 'in the sale' instead.

sale — 慣用語