Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

short selling

British  

noun

  1. finance the practice of selling commodities, securities, currencies, etc that one does not have in the expectation that falling prices will enable one to buy them in at a profit before they have to be delivered

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

For normal ADRs, Friday’s premium of 29% would have hedge funds buying stocks in Seoul to convert into ADRs while short selling the ADRs in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Nearly 80% of the shares that can be borrowed for short selling are already being borrowed, said Hillerberg—meaning there aren’t many shares left for new short sellers.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Another factor in the recent rise is short selling.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

Despite what appears to be a cooling of enthusiasm for companies focused on developing generative artificial intelligence technology, traders might want to think twice before short selling AI-related stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 6, 2026

By short selling, we mean selling a stock that you do not possess, with the intention of buying it later.

From Successful Stock Speculation by John James Butler

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com