hedge

American  

[hej] / hɛdʒ /

noun

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)

hedged, hedging

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)

hedged, hedging

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

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

Etymology

Origin of hedge

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

Example Sentences

Experts say it’s worth noting that cruise lines are often protected from short-term shifts in oil costs due to the fact that they’ve locked in pricing in advance, a process known as hedging.

From MarketWatch

Block is well-known as the founder and chief executive officer of Muddy Waters Capital, a hedge fund and investment research firm, with a string of successful bearish bets to his name.

From MarketWatch

He spent a quarter-century at Wilshire Associates, consulting for pension funds and others on private equity and hedge funds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Most airlines don’t hedge their fuel purchases any more, exposing them to large price increases.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gold and Treasuries have also failed to act as primary hedges, leaving the dollar as the dominant safe-haven winner.

From Barron's

Related Words

• fudge
• sidestep
• waffle