sell
- v. 卖
- v. 出卖
- v. 卖得
- v. 畅销
- Definition
- v. to exchange goods for money
- v. to betray someone
- v. to be sold
- v. to have a particular sales performance
- Example
- They sell fresh bread every morning at the bakery.
- 面包店每天早上都卖新鲜面包。
Synonyms & Differences 近义词辨析
Compared meaning: to betray someone's trust (verb).
比较义项：出卖，背叛（动词）。
- sell 本词
In this sense, sell is dated and literary, usually implying betrayal in exchange for money, favor, or personal gain, and is far less common than betray in everyday speech.
在这一意义上，sell 用法较为陈旧、文学化，通常暗示为了金钱、好处或个人利益而出卖对方，在日常口语中远不如 betray 常用。
For a promotion, he sold his closest friend without a moment's hesitation.
为了升职，他毫不犹豫地出卖了自己最亲密的朋友。
- betray
Betray is the common, neutral word for breaking someone's trust or loyalty; it needs no reward or payment and works with abstract objects like trust, secrets, or a cause.
betray 是表示“辜负信任、背叛忠诚”的常用中性词，不需要涉及报酬或好处，也可以搭配“信任”“秘密”“事业”等抽象宾语。
Revealing her plan would betray the trust her whole team had placed in her.
泄露她的计划将辜负全体团队对她的信任。
Both words can mean to betray someone's trust. Sell is old-fashioned and literary here, usually suggesting betrayal for money or gain. Betray is the common, neutral word and needs no reward. Sell usually means to exchange goods for money; that meaning is not compared here.
这两个词在“出卖、辜负某人信任”这一意义上接近，但 sell 的用法较陈旧、文学化，常暗示为了金钱或好处而出卖对方；betray 是最常用、中性的说法，不需要涉及利益交换。这里不比较 sell 常见的“出售，销售商品”这一义项。