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

Short interest in the stock has added to the volatility.

From Barron's

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

Other companies with short interest near the top of their historical ranges include Oracle, with almost 35 million shares shorted; Adobe with 12 million; ServiceNow at 21 million; Intuit at 5.9 million; Palo Alto Networks with 46 million; and Zscaler with 7.7 million.

From Barron's

Short interest in Strategy has jumped about 40% from a low point in September 2025, according to an analysis Tuesday from S3 Partners.

From Barron's