a sale held for the purpose of raising money to meet emergency expenses and usually offering goods at a substantial discount for the payment of cash
Word origin
[1880–85]This word is first recorded in the period 1880–85. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Chief of Staff, highball, irredentist, jackpot, rain check
Examples of 'distress sale' in a sentence
distress sale
In part, this is due to a rise in distress sales - properties sold by receivers or mortgage lenders.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
After 'the megaboom of the last 18 months', he adds, he has already come across one multimillion-pound distress sale.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
When times are tough, however, distress sales are often what bolster the market.