undersell
Americanverb (used with object)
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undersells,
present (3rd person singular)
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undersold,
past participle, past
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underselling
present participle
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to sell more cheaply than.
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to advertise with restraint; understate the merits of (something).
By underselling his product, he let his hearers convince themselves of its importance.
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to sell for less than the actual value.
verb
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to sell for less than the usual or expected price
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(tr) to sell at a price lower than that of (another seller)
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(tr) to advertise (merchandise) with moderation or restraint
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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undersellsimple
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undersellssimple
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have undersoldperfect
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has undersoldperfect
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am undersellingprogressive
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are undersellingprogressive
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is undersellingprogressive
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have been undersellingperfect progressive
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has been undersellingperfect progressive
Past
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undersoldsimple
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had undersoldperfect
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was undersellingprogressive
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were undersellingprogressive
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had been undersellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of undersell
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.
See Examples For:
“I can’t undersell what a major win that is to protect the records of all these patients.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
Tribus and Gittens dance with skill and elegance, but they undersell the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them jokes so much that they barely register.
From New York Times ● May 8, 2024
"Don't undersell someone who comes from outside a system to change the system," Bruce Cahan, a professional colleague, said.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2024
“I guess what I would say, to be as charitable as possible, is that there are strong incentives in politics to undersell the costs of a program like this,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 24, 2023
“He’s finding out how much we’re charging so he can undersell us!”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
El-Sayed’s close win, in which he underperformed the polling, in some ways undersells his achievement.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
As impressive as that is, it actually undersells the school’s import.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
But believing that Citigroup is ripe for another relapse undersells how much has changed at the bank—and around it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
"Everyone starts off with the pace, but I think that really undersells Louis' value," he told Rugby Union Weekly.
From BBC ● May 22, 2025
This has the quality of relative truth; it is true so far as it goes, but it undersells the major values.
From The Armed Forces Officer Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-2 by United States. Dept. of Defense
But spending time around that ferry has made me wonder if modern life has undersold inconvenience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The most recent auction in May was not only undersold, but left an estimated $961 million of credits on the table, according to a report from the nonprofit Clean and Prosperous California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025
In September last year, it brought back its "never knowingly undersold" price pledge, two years after abandoning it.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025
The close-ups of their faces, as they crumple or freeze in the act of realization, are devastating, and not just for those undersold at $1.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
She’s undersold herself because she’s not simply a hugger, she’s a damn good hugger.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
One key point: Don’t sell yourself short by underselling what you accomplished.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
“If we miss, we’ve done something totally awesome, rather than underselling what is possible.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
After this uncharacteristic foray into newsiness, Mulaney doubled down on his self-deprecating style of underselling his series "Everybody's Live," which will air live weekly starting March 12 for 12 weeks.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
Back home in Massachusetts, the author of underselling historical novels faces multiple crises in his well-to-do family and professional life with more intellect than emotional intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
“Why, yes. I would be underselling my competitors.”
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
