lowball
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to deliberately estimate a lower price for (a service or merchandise) than one intends to charge.
to lowball the cost of a move.
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to give a false estimate or bid for.
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
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a game of poker in which the player with the lowest hand wins
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a very low estimate or offer
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( as modifier )
a lowball bid
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verb
Etymology
Origin of lowball
Explanation
When you lowball someone, you attempt to buy something from them by offering a lot less money than it's actually worth. If you want to buy a car that you can't quite afford, you might decide to lowball. Whether you estimate something's value, make an offer to buy something, or try to hire a worker for a very small salary, you lowball. The word works as an adjective too: "He was selling fancy lemonade for two dollars a cup, but I made him a lowball offer, since I only had a quarter in my pocket." This informal slang word was coined in the US, from a railroad term.
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.
Orcel tested the appetite with a lowball offer that valued Commerzbank at around 35 billion euros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
But even those lowball official projections may not be low enough, writes Stephen Brown, deputy chief North America economist at Capital Economics.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
So when applicants lowball, they may end up pricing themselves well below what the company actually budgeted to pay.
From Slate ● Jan. 20, 2026
And that may be a lowball estimate, according to the American Security Project.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2025
In my estimation, every five Y2K polyblend tops that I got rid of earned me one beautiful silk Prada blouse I scored from a lowball bid on EBay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025
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.
