gazump

American  

[guh-zuhmp] / gəˈzʌmp /

verb (used with object)

1. to cheat (a house buyer) by raising the price, at the time a contract is to be signed, over the amount originally agreed upon.

---

noun

1. an act of gazumping.

gazump British  

/ ɡəˈzʌmp /

verb

1. to raise the price of something, esp a house, after agreeing a price verbally with (an intending buyer)

2. (tr) to swindle or overcharge

---

noun

1. the act or an instance of gazumping

Other Word Forms

• gazumper
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gazump

First recorded in 1925–30; earlier gazoomph to swindle, argot word of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gazump

A contractual issue regarding deferred wages has been the main reason reported for the hold-up on the deal and now big-spending Chelsea are hovering to gazump United.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2022

He added that instead of responding, Wilson “opted to gazump the story” by announcing on Instagram that she is dating Agruma ahead of the paper’s publication — a decision Hornery called “underwhelming.”

From Washington Post ● Jun. 13, 2022

A film about an underground ant colony, it seemed to gazump rival feature "A Bug's Life," which would appear in cinemas only a month later.

From Salon ● May 1, 2021

Watford were thought to be in the ol’ hunt for Fiorentina midfielder Mario Suarez, but according to Spanish paper AS Valencia are moving to gazump them.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 27, 2016

By contrast, Ms. Lively used her website to gazump all gossip sites by announcing her pregnancy, while Ms. Paltrow notoriously revealed that she and her husband at the time, Chris Martin, were separating on Goop.

From New York Times ● Nov. 14, 2014