short sale
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of short sale
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
Plus, the homeowner may have to do a short sale, meaning they sell the home for less than what they owe on their mortgage with the lender’s approval.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 9, 2026
The cost of borrowing the shares for a short sale is exorbitant, if an investor could find someone to lend them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
In 2012, after missing three mortgage payments, she was encouraged to do a short sale by her bank, Washington Mutual, a subprime-mortgage pusher and the largest bank to fail in U.S. history.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2024
Short sale circuit breakers prohibit the execution or display of a short sale in that security at a price that is less than or equal to the current national best bid.
From Reuters ● Apr. 5, 2023
You would then buy futures at 8.00 to cover your short sale at 6.00, netting a loss thereby of 2.00.
From About sugar buying for jobbers How you can lessen business risks by trading in refined sugar futures by Dyer, B. W. (Benjamin Wheeler)
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.
