Sell Short (Verb)
Meaning 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.
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- Investors began to sell short the company's stock, anticipating a sharp decline in its value.
- After analyzing the market trends, the trader decided to sell short the currency, expecting its value to drop.
- Sell short orders poured in as investors lost confidence in the struggling tech firm.
- Traders who chose to sell short the commodity reaped a significant profit due to its subsequent price drop.
- The investor's decision to sell short paid off when the company's stock price plummeted following its disappointing earnings report.
Meaning 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".
Classification
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting.
Examples
- Don't sell your capabilities short, you have a lot more to offer than you think.
- He didn't want to sell his new employees short by not giving them the challenging tasks.
- We should not sell the younger generation short, they are a lot wiser than previous generations.
- Don't sell yourself short by limiting your expectations to this small town.
- Never sell others short because of their background or education, everyone has talent in some form.