underbid

American  

[uhn-der-bid] / ˌʌn dərˈbɪd /

verb (used with object)

underbid, underbidding

1. to bid less than (another bid) or less than the bid of (another bidder), especially in seeking a contract to be awarded to the lowest bid or bidder; make an offer at a lower price than.

2. Cards. to bid less than the value or worth of (a contract or hand).

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verb (used without object)

underbid, underbidding

1. to bid lower than another or too low for the value of something.

underbid British  

/ ˌʌndəˈbɪd /

verb

1. to submit a bid lower than that of (others)

   Irena underbid the other dealers

2. to submit an excessively low bid for

3. bridge to make a bid that will win fewer tricks than is justified by the strength of the hand

   he underbid his hand

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Other Word Forms

• underbidder noun

Etymology

Origin of underbid

First recorded in 1585–95; under- + bid ¹

Example Sentences

Saint Francis had been exceeding Nebraska’s caseload requirements and ultimately conceded that it had underbid its contract with the state.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022

State officials awarded the contract in 2019 despite concerns about Optum’s record after the company underbid the incumbent contractor, Beacon Health Options, by $72.1 million.

From Washington Post • Oct. 28, 2022

The measure also covers bids in public tenders in order to prevent foreign subsidies used to grow market share or underbid European rivals to gain access to strategically important markets or critical infrastructure.

From Reuters • May 4, 2022

The shift opened the field to small businesses that were willing to underbid, and outhustle, the established firms.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2014

They would also be wanted for 'free-trading' vessels, that is, for the ships of the smugglers who underbid, undersold, and tried to overreach the monopolist, who represented law, though not quite justice.

From Elizabethan Sea Dogs by Wood, William Charles Henry