short-change
Britishverb
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to give less than correct change to
-
slang to treat unfairly or dishonestly, esp by giving less than is deserved or expected
Other Word Forms
- short-changer noun
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.
When time was up, some accused the organizers of a conspiracy to short-change the cake-eaters’ time.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
“The only alternative is to short-change devastated residents.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025
"Paying the legal minimum wage is non-negotiable and all businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working staff," said Kevin Hollinrake, minister for enterprise, markets and small business.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2023
Pandemic preparedness would be a disastrously short-sighted priority to short-change, for at least three reasons.
From Washington Post • Aug. 2, 2021
A short-change artist, from whom we can never recover.
From The Roycroft Dictionary Concocted by Ali Baba and the Bunch on Rainy Days. by Hubbard, Elbert
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.
