Word.ws English Dictionary

sold the family silver

sold the family silver is the simple past and past participle of sell the family silver.

Meaning of sell the family silver

Verb

sell the family silver (third-person singular simple present sells the family silver, present participle selling the family silver, simple past and past participle sold the family silver)

  1. (dated, idiomatic) To sell one's property (not necessarily heirlooms) in an attempt to avoid or escape financial difficulties.
    • For two years he fretted in France, selling the family silver to support himself1939, Henry Louis Mencken, editor, The American Mercury, volume 48
  2. (idiomatic) To sell a valuable or critical asset, especially for immediate or short-term gain.
    • And if it is close, when is it sensible to sell the family silver?1988, Lee E. Preston, editor, International and Comparative Studies, volume 1, →ISBN, page 161

Questions about sold the family silver

What is sold the family silver the simple past and past participle of?
Sold the family silver is the simple past and past participle of sell the family silver.

Words near sold the family silver in the dictionary

  1. sold salt to a slug
  2. sold short
  3. sold snow to Eskimos
  4. sold someone a bill of goods
  5. sold the dummy
  6. sold the family silver
  7. sold the pass
  8. sold up
  9. sold wolf tickets
  10. sold-out
  11. sold-out-ness

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sold the family silver (page history and authors); sell the family silver (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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