hedge

American  

[hej] / hɛdʒ /

noun

• hedges
  plural

1. a row of bushes or small trees planted close together, especially when forming a fence or boundary; hedgerow.

   small fields separated by hedges.

2. any barrier or boundary.

   a hedge of stones.

3. 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.

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verb (used with object)

• hedges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hedged,
  past participle,  past
• hedging
  present participle

1. to enclose with or separate by a hedge.

   to hedge a garden.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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

5. to prevent or hinder free movement; obstruct.

   to be hedged by poverty.

verb (used without object)

• hedges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hedged,
  past participle,  past
• hedging
  present participle

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   waffle, temporize, delay, stall, evade

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

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

hedge British  

/ hɛdʒ /

noun

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

2. a barrier or protection against something

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

4. a cautious or evasive statement

5. (modifier; often in combination) low, inferior, or illiterate

   a hedge lawyer

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verb

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

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

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

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

5. (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

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hedger
  noun
• hedging
  noun
• unhedge
  verb (used with object)
• hedgeless
  adjective
• hedgy
  adjective
• unhedged
  adjective
• well-hedged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hedges
  plural

Participles

• hedging
  present
• hedged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hedge
  simple
• hedges
  simple
• have hedged
  perfect
• has hedged
  perfect
• am hedging
  progressive
• are hedging
  progressive
• is hedging
  progressive
• have been hedging
  perfect progressive
• has been hedging
  perfect progressive

Past

• hedged
  simple
• had hedged
  perfect
• was hedging
  progressive
• were hedging
  progressive
• had been hedging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hedge
  simple
• will have hedged
  perfect
• will be hedging
  progressive
• will have been hedging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hedge

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

Explanation

A hedge is a living fence made of closely planted bushes, which, as they grow and get trimmed and shaped, form a wall of green. Hedge can also be used as a verb. If someone asks you a question and you hedge, you're avoiding a straight answer. If you're not sure what your boss's political views are, you can hedge by not revealing yours. If you hedge your bets, you're trying to minimize risk or loss — that is, you're trying to cover yourself no matter what happens.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hedge hedges hedged hedging

Now, the firm is breaking into prediction block trades for hedge funds, family offices and other institutions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Quant hedge funds reap big gains from global bond selloff.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

The lower retention follows a recent decision to hedge less of the OTC book, RBC added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The problem is, if performance fees actually worked in financial management, then hedge funds — which are already free to charge them — wouldn’t suck.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

In Dallas, Texas, a former Bear Stearns bond salesman named Kyle Bass set up a hedge fund called Hayman Capital in mid-2006 and soon thereafter bought credit default swaps on subprime mortgage bonds.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

The SFI scheme is vital for many farmers who have turned large swathes of their land over to nature-friendly schemes, such as planting hedges, creating wildflower margins and protecting the soil.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

“Hidden behind towering privacy hedges in Encino’s famed “Rancho Estates,” this multi-structure tennis court compound delivers the ultimate sanctuary where high-end luxury seamlessly meets practical family livability,” the listing describes.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

The listing makes note of the home’s many privacy features, describing it as a “private oasis” tucked behind “mature hedges and a private gate.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

He now lives on Indian Creek island behind dense hedges that prevent even his wealthy neighbors from peering into his estate—the only home like that on the island, one club member said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The ruffians came tramping along the East Road, and without halting turned up the Bywater Road, which ran for some way sloping up between high banks with low hedges on top.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Since the option of reducing its stake is hedged, there is limited downside risk, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

A puma named Muluk seemed sure that South Korea will triumph against the Czech Republic, and six giraffes hedged their bets with the Democratic Republic of Congo over Colombia.

From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026

EasyJet, for example, hedged 80% of its fuel supply for the first half of the year at $717/tonne - but finding the remainder at prevailing prices cost the airline an extra £25m in March alone.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

While Steyer and Xavier Becerra, the former California attorney general, both said they would support such a ban, the remaining three candidates hedged or said they would not.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

“Even if we didn’t,” he hedged, “Minya’s got enough for all of us.”

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Goldman see eventual restrictions on U.S. diesel exports as “very plausible,” and to prepare, the strategists recommend hedging geopolitical risk by taking long positions in European gasoline as its supply continues to tighten.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

That outcome would restore confidence in exactly the mechanism gold increasingly appears to be hedging against.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Loh says lower alumina prices could also allow Press Metal to reduce hedging.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Jet fuel prices will remain elevated over the July-December period, it forecast, vowing to pursue mitigating actions such as hedging for crude oil price changes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

He on the other hand talks little: no more hedging or jokes.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• fudge
• sidestep
• waffle