sell short
Idioms-
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]
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These “loser” stocks are ones that are difficult to borrow in the share-lending market and therefore hard to sell short.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Members were still free to sell short any Union securities they wished, though.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
So Wolfe Research’s chief investment strategist Chris Senyek screened for stocks to sell short, or bet against.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025
It would not be advisable to sell short either Leonard Leo or this Teneo Network, whatever the hell it is.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2023
Paulson had never encountered a market in which an investor could sell short 25 billion dollars’ worth of a stock or bond without causing its price to move, even crash.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
