sell short
Idioms-
Contract for the sale of securities or commodities one expects to own at a later date and at a lower price, as in Selling short runs the risk of a market rise, forcing one to pay more than one expected . [Mid-1800s]
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sell someone short . Underestimate the true value or worth of someone, as in Don't sell her short; she's a very able lawyer . [First half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Momentum strategies invest stocks with the best trailing-year returns and sell short those with the worst.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Trivariate Research founder Adam Parker screened for stocks to sell short before the companies report their earnings.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
We underestimate how pleasant the exchange will be—for us and for our counterpart—and sell short our conversational chops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
Right now, there are hardly any shares left to borrow and sell short.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2024
He was shocked how much easier and cheaper it was to buy a credit default swap than it was to sell short an actual cash bond—even though they represented exactly the same bet.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
