hedge

[ hej ]

/ hɛdʒ /

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See synonyms for: hedge / hedged / hedging on Thesaurus.com

noun

a row of bushes or small trees planted close together, especially when forming a fence or boundary; hedgerow: small fields separated by hedges.

any barrier or boundary: a hedge of stones.

an act or means of preventing complete loss of a bet, an argument, an investment, or the like, with a partially counterbalancing or qualifying one.

verb (used with object), hedged, hedg·ing.

to enclose with or separate by a hedge: to hedge a garden.

to surround and confine as if with a hedge; restrict (often followed by in, about, etc.): He felt hedged in by the rules of language.

to protect with qualifications that allow for unstated contingencies or for withdrawal from commitment: He hedged his program against attack and then presented it to the board.

to mitigate a possible loss by counterbalancing (one's bets, investments, etc.).

to prevent or hinder free movement; obstruct: to be hedged by poverty.

verb (used without object), hedged, hedg·ing.

to avoid a rigid commitment by qualifying or modifying a position so as to permit withdrawal: He felt that he was speaking too boldly and began to hedge before they could contradict him.

to prevent complete loss of a bet by betting an additional amount or amounts against the original bet.

Finance. to enter transactions that will protect against loss through a compensatory price movement.

OTHER WORDS FOR hedge

9 evade, stall, delay, temporize, waffle.

See synonyms for hedge on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of hedge

before 900; Middle English, Old English hegge; cognate with Dutch heg,German Hecke hedge, Old Norse heggr bird cherry

OTHER WORDS FROM hedge

hedgeless, adjectiveun·hedge, verb (used with object), un·hedged, un·hedg·ing.un·hedged, adjectivewell-hedged, adjective

Words nearby hedge

Hedda Gabler, heddle, hedenbergite, heder, hedera, hedge, hedge apple, hedge fund, hedge garlic, hedgehog, hedgehog cactus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hedge in a sentence

In 2018, Citi was targeted by ValueAct, an activist hedge fund that has pushed for shakeups at other companies.
Citi CEO Jane Fraser’s biggest challenge, in one chart|John Detrixhe|September 10, 2020|Quartz
In January 2019, he formally set up a hedge fund called Next Alpha, which today, he says, has about $30 million under management.
Can an A.I. hedge fund beat the market?|Jeremy Kahn|August 25, 2020|Fortune
This has nurtured a renaissance for many macro hedge funds, with some notching up gains not seen since their 1990s heyday.
Hedge Fund ‘Pirates’ Set Sail Again|Daniel Malloy|August 21, 2020|Ozy
The average global macro fund is flat this year, according to data from Aurum Fund Management, a firm that invests in hedge funds.
Hedge Fund ‘Pirates’ Set Sail Again|Daniel Malloy|August 21, 2020|Ozy

The hedge fund publishes reports on companies that it says has misled investors, while making a bet on the stock price falling.
The world’s best known short seller says Tesla traders are feeding on testosterone|John Detrixhe|July 30, 2020|Quartz
All the money from cuts to public education can go toward more tax breaks for hedge-fund types.
Hunger Games Comes to New York State’s Public Schools|Zephyr Teachout|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Third, the destruction: These hedge-fund managers want to eliminate all limits and oversight of charter schools.
Hunger Games Comes to New York State’s Public Schools|Zephyr Teachout|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The center-right hedge fund clique known as Third Way, and associated Blue Dogs and hangers on.
One of the Midterms’ Little-Noticed Big Losers: The NRA|Cliff Schecter|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dunham makes fun of herself only so that she can then hedge and embrace an authoritative role.
Time to Grow Up, Lena Dunham|Emily Shire|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1998, when the hedge fund Long Term Capital Management blew up, the New York Fed helped organize a $3.65 billion bailout.
The Incredible 'Wussiness' Of The Fed Vs Goldman Sachs—Caught On Tape|Daniel Gross|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Where there is no hedge, the possession shall be spoiled: and where there is no wife, he mourneth that is in want.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted: I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
We cut over the fields at the back with him between usstraight as the crow fliesthrough hedge and ditch.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens
Into the houses, and behind every garden fence and hedge, the retreating Federals gathered.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
They crashed against Sir Edward Bruce's division, which received them 'like a dense hedge' or 'wood.'
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison

British Dictionary definitions for hedge

hedge

/ (hɛdʒ) /

noun

a row of shrubs, bushes, or trees forming a boundary to a field, garden, etc

a barrier or protection against something

the act or a method of reducing the risk of financial loss on an investment, bet, etc

a cautious or evasive statement

(modifier; often in combination) low, inferior, or illiteratea hedge lawyer

verb

(tr) to enclose or separate with or as if with a hedge

(intr) to make or maintain a hedge, as by cutting and laying

(tr; often foll by in, about, or around) to hinder, obstruct, or restrict

(intr) to evade decision or action, esp by making noncommittal statements

(tr) to guard against the risk of loss in (a bet, the paying out of a win, etc), esp by laying bets with other bookmakers

(intr) to protect against financial loss through future price fluctuations, as by investing in futures

Derived forms of hedge

hedger, nounhedging, nounhedgy, adjective

Word Origin for hedge

Old English hecg; related to Old High German heckia, Middle Dutch hegge; see haw 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hedge

OTHER WORDS FOR hedge

Origin of hedge

OTHER WORDS FROM hedge

Words nearby hedge

Words related to hedge

How to use hedge in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hedge

Derived forms of hedge

Word Origin for hedge