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
He was a bear and it was a short sale.
From The Romance and Tragedy by William Ingraham Russell
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.
