sell short

English

Alternative forms

• short sell, short-sell, short

Verb

sell short (third-person singular simple present sells short, present participle selling short, simple past and past participle sold short)

1. (transitive, finance) To engage in the process of short selling (selling a stock one does not own on the premise of the stock's price going down).
   • 2011 July 18, John Cassidy, “Mastering the Machine”, in The New Yorker‎^[1], →ISSN:

     George Soros famously did this in 1992—selling short some ten billion dollars’ worth of sterling. A few years ago, John Paulson wagered hugely against U.S. mortgage bonds and made several billion dollars.

2. Alternative form of sell oneself short
3. To underestimate the value of something.

   Don't sell yourself short. You're better than most around here.

Related terms

• short position
• short sale

Translations

finance: to engage in the process of short selling

• Finnish: myydä lyhyeksi, shortata (fi)
• German: leerverkaufen

to sell oneself short — see sell oneself short

to underestimate the value of something — see underestimate

Anagrams

• Shellsort, Shortells, shellsort, short sell, short-sell