lowball

verb

low·​ball ˈlō-ˌbȯl How to pronounce lowball (audio)
lowballed; lowballing; lowballs

transitive verb

1
: to give (a customer) a deceptively low price or cost estimate
2
: to give a markedly or unfairly low offer
lowballed him in contract negotiations
lowball noun

Examples of lowball in a Sentence

It became clear that the contractor had lowballed us on the cost of materials. Management lowballed him in contract negotiations.
Recent Examples on the Web Some companies prioritize short-term profits over employee satisfaction and might see lowballing as a way to cut costs. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Trump maintains that his financial statements actually lowballed his wealth and that any overstatements — such as listing his Trump Tower penthouse for years at nearly three times its actual size — were mistakes. Jennifer Peltz, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023 Farmers complained that they were getting lowballed by brokers and corrupt politicians, but bigger trouble brewed. Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023 The former president has said that the documents, if anything, lowballed his wealth. Byjennifer Peltz, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2023 Of course, just because the tax assessment value used by the judge may have lowballed the value of Mar-a-Lago, doesn’t necessarily mean Trump used a fair valuation for Mar-a-Lago. Matt Egan, CNN, 3 Oct. 2023 But many companies aren’t playing fair, putting artificially low salaries—or extremely wide ranges—on their postings, to avoid applicants figuring out if and when they’re being lowballed. Jane Thier, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023 First, Booz appeared to be lowballing the financial cost of its work with corporations and foreign governments, in some cases on the order of tens of millions of dollars, the complaint alleges. David Nakamura, Aaron Gregg, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2023 Also be sure to ask what surprises cropped up and whether the price tag increased over the course of the construction, both of which could be signs of a company that lowballs its bids. Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lowball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lowball was in 1957

Dictionary Entries Near lowball

Cite this Entry

“Lowball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lowball. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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