shortchange

American  

[shawrt-cheynj] / ˈʃɔrtˈtʃeɪndʒ /

verb (used with object)

shortchanged, shortchanging

1. to give less than the correct change to.

2. to deal with unfairly or dishonestly, especially to cheat.

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Other Word Forms

• shortchanger
  noun

Etymology

Origin of shortchange

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Explanation

To shortchange is to give someone less than you owe them. If you hand over a five dollar bill for a one-dollar lemonade and get three dollars back, the lemonade seller shortchanged you. The useful word shortchange is an American English coinage from the 1880s. It comes from the money sense of the noun change, and the idea that someone has deliberately withheld some of the change they owe you, leaving you short. You can use shortchange even when you're not talking about cash: "Our math teacher promised a pizza party on the last day of school, but she really shortchanged us! All we got was a bag of pretzels."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shortchange shortchanged shortchanging

"You have insurance charges, floor charges, and various other levies that make production unsustainable," he told AFP, repeating allegations that contractors collude to keep prices low and "shortchange" producers.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

‘We don’t want to shortchange our daughter just because the focus seems to be on the boys.’

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 6, 2026

But some economists and academics say that would shortchange taxpayers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

“If prosecutors limited themselves to following laws instead of leading on justice, it would shortchange both public safety and the fairness we seek in our criminal justice system,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2025

To make sure that workers at state farms do not shortchange the military, the army stations soldiers at all three thousand of them throughout the harvest season.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

In these kinds of situations where family and finance are mixed up, somebody always ends up feeling shortchanged, and no one will ever admit to being wrong.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 19, 2026

But it also reminds us that people who care keep those of us shortchanged by its promise limping along.

From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026

It’s an understandable move: Many might feel shortchanged if Mr. Icke had chosen otherwise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025

Fans were also left feeling shortchanged after the 38-year-old's set featured just three special guests - Popcaan, Rema and Vybz Kartel.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2025

I decide not even to complain about having my first paycheck withheld or the ways we’re shortchanged every day.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Many critics, including Barron’s, accused Michael Dell, 61, and his partners of shortchanging other investors when they took Dell private in a leveraged buyout in 2013.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

Along with the distinctive doors, the vehicle was skinned with stainless steel—like today’s Tesla Cybertruck—because DeLorean thought Detroit was shortchanging customers with vehicles that would rust too quickly, Stone says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

However, plan details, doctors and drug coverage can change from year to year, and sticking with the same plan can end up shortchanging the beneficiary.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025

He declined to speculate about why Bass fired Crowley, who publicly criticized the mayor days after the Palisades fire began for supposedly shortchanging her department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025

“Nelson,” he said, “you are shortchanging me. You are giving Gaet-sewe more tobacco than me.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela