What does sold mean?
Sold is the past tense and past participle of sell. In its most common use, it describes something that has been transferred to a buyer in return for money or another form of payment: the house sold, the painting sold at auction, or tickets sold quickly. It can also indicate that an item or event has become completely unavailable, especially in the phrase “sold out.” In informal American English, sold can mean deceived, betrayed, or let down, as in “I felt sold.” The word is widely used across formal and informal contexts, with its financial meaning most common. When used before a noun, it can describe something already transferred or unavailable. Its forms are straightforward, with selling and sells serving as the other principal forms of the verb.
Transferred something to a buyer or other recipient in exchange for money or another form of payment.
"The vendor sold thousands of copies in the first week."
Used as the simple past tense and past participle of sell.
No longer available because it has been sold, claimed, or otherwise disposed of.
"When I arrived, every ticket was sold."
Often appears in the expression “sold out.”
Sold is more than the past tense of sell: in “sold out,” it can mean an entire supply has vanished.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sold come from?
Sold comes from the Old English verb sellan, meaning to give or transfer something, especially in exchange for payment. The modern form developed through Middle English and follows the regular strong-verb pattern, with present sell, past sold, and participle sold. Related words include sale, seller, and resale, which preserve the same commercial root.
Related word forms
How sold is actually used
The informal senses “defeated,” “deceived,” and “let down” are especially common in American English, as in “I was sold on the deal.” The expression “sold out” can mean either that the available stock is exhausted or, informally, that someone has betrayed another person.
Easily confused with sold
Sold means that something has been transferred in a transaction, whereas sow means to plant seeds or scatter them.