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

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Etymology

Origin of underbid

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

underbid underbidding

A stalking horse bid is an initial bid on the assets of a bankrupt company, setting the low-end bidding bar so that other bidders cannot underbid the purchase price.

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023

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

Particularly in the wake of the financial crisis, contractors desperate for work and dependent on basically a single employer — the government — underbid for contracts just to get them at all, he said.

From New York Times ● Jan. 15, 2018

The artificial regulation of production throws a part of the working class out of work, and, in order that these may live, they underbid their fellows at work.

From Woman under socialism by Daniel De Leon

He then submitted a competing application for the federal contract through his new nonprofit organization, successfully underbidding Geo Group.

From New York Times ● Oct. 3, 2021

Critics contend the company has been able to secure the deals by dramatically underbidding competitors due to subsidies from Beijing.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2019

Academic jobs—especially in such “useless” fields as English, history, philosophy, and the foreign languages—are so scarce, and seekers so desperate, that if underbidding became standard practice, the winning underbid would always be zero.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2015

Applicants might win jobs by underbidding the competition, but they are apt to saddle themselves with a wage well below the market rate.

From Time ● Jun. 12, 2012

Whittier, Wheatcroft & Co. had lost important contracts because of underbidding, due to knowledge surreptitiously obtained.

From Tales of Fantasy and Fact by Brander Matthews

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