veilen

Veilen is a Dutch verb meaning to sell something at an auction or to auction off items. It is used when goods are offered to bidders in a formal sale setting, typically organized by an auction house or similar venue. The corresponding noun is veiling, referring to the auction event itself.

In usage, veilen is a transitive verb. The passive form is geveild, as in een schilderij is geveild (a painting has been auctioned). The verb also forms standard past tense and imperfect forms, for example ik veilde, wij veilden. In contemporary contexts, veiling often occurs for art, antiques, real estate, cars, and other valuables; it may occur in physical auction houses or online platforms. The term is frequently paired with related words such as veilinghuis (auction house), veilingmeester or veilingmeesteres (auctioneer), veilingcatalogus (auction catalog), and bieding (bidding).

Veiling can be used beyond strictly commercial sales, including liquidations, bankruptcy proceedings, and estate dispersals. Metaphorically, assets or holdings can be geveild to realize value or to distribute proceeds among creditors or heirs. The process typically involves bidding, reserve prices, bidding increments, and stipulations determined by the auction house or organizer.

Etymology traces veilen to the noun veiling, the event of sale at auction, with cognates in related Germanic languages. The term is common in Dutch-speaking regions and is used in art markets, property sales, and commercial decommissioning contexts. See also veiling, veilinghuis, veilingmeester, veilingcatalogus, and bieding.