sell short

1. Contract for the sale of securities or commodities one expects to own at a later date and at a lower price, as in Selling short runs the risk of a market rise, forcing one to pay more than one expected . [Mid-1800s]

2. sell someone short . Underestimate the true value or worth of someone, as in Don't sell her short; she's a very able lawyer . [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

The various floors, or tranches, of subprime mortgage bonds all had one thing in common: The bonds were impossible to sell short.

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Consider the performance of a hypothetical portfolio that buys the 10% of stocks with the highest betas and sells short the decile of stocks with the lowest betas.

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The viral clip of the show is the convenient entry point, but it sells short what the gentlemen have built.

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Trivariate Research founder Adam Parker screened for stocks to sell short before the companies report their earnings.

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That could help lift the stock, which may now be being held back as arbitrageurs buy Lennar and sell short Millrose to capture a favorable spread of about 6% on the deal.

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Related Words

• belittle 
• miscalculate 
• underrate 
• undervalue