sell short meaning

UK /sɛl ʃɔːt/ US /sɛl ʃɔrt/ 2 syllables

sell short (verb): sell securities or commodities or foreign currency that is not actually owned by the seller, who hopes to cover (buy back) the sold items at a lower price and thus to earn a profit.

sell short has 2 meanings in this dictionary.

sell short as a verb

  1. sell securities or commodities or foreign currency that is not actually owned by the seller, who hopes to cover (buy back) the sold items at a lower price and thus to earn a profit

    Type of: sell

  2. underestimate the real value or ability of
    • Don't sell your students short--they are just shy and don't show off their knowledge

    Type of: underestimate

How to pronounce sell short

sell short is pronounced /sɛl ʃɔːt/ in British English and /sɛl ʃɔrt/ in American English. It has 2 syllables.

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