short interest

American  

noun

Finance.

1. the total amount by which a single seller or all sellers are short in a particular stock or commodity or in the market as a whole.

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Etymology

Origin of short interest

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Leerink Partners analyst Michael Cherny called the deal “a surprise and an unabashed positive” for Hims, while noting the stock has nearly 40% short interest.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

High short interest suggests a potential short squeeze, where buying by short-sellers could trigger a near-term rally in software stocks.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

S3 estimates that convertible-arbitrage shorts have declined by roughly 2.5 million to 5 million shares since mid-September, while total short interest has risen by about 9.2 million shares.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

As it stands, short interest could theoretically rise to multiples of the shares available for trading, as the same borrowed stock goes from one short seller to the next.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

This phase of the matter was of short interest to me, however, when I considered how seriously the words might affect Winters's chances of acquittal.

From A Master Hand The Story of a Crime by Dallas, Richard