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Synonyms

short-change

British  

verb

  1. to give less than correct change to

  2. slang to treat unfairly or dishonestly, esp by giving less than is deserved or expected

"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

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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:

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

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