shortchange
verb
short·change
ˈshȯrt-ˈchānj 
shortchanged; shortchanging; shortchanges
1
: to give less than the correct amount of change to
2
: to deprive of or give less than something due : cheat
was shortchanged out of a promotion
shortchanger
noun
Examples of shortchange in a Sentence
The cashier shortchanged me. I gave her 10 dollars to pay for an $8.95 book, and she only gave me a dollar back.
The band shortchanged its fans by playing for only 30 minutes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump and his far-right acolytes are pushing to shortchange those efforts in part to award tax breaks that largely would benefit the ultra-wealthy.
—
Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
That Investors Should Track Corporate America is shortchanging itself, or at least the companies that participate in the DEI rollback are.
—Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
If either side feels shortchanged, the system fails.
—Craig Lebrau, USA Today, 17 June 2025
After years of shortchanging homeless cats and dogs, knowingly or not, the group should revamp its pet shelter grant program.
—Edwin Sayres, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortchange
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
That Investors Should Track Corporate America is shortchanging itself, or at least the companies that participate in the DEI rollback are.
—Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
If either side feels shortchanged, the system fails.
—Craig Lebrau, USA Today, 17 June 2025
After years of shortchanging homeless cats and dogs, knowingly or not, the group should revamp its pet shelter grant program.
—Edwin Sayres, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortchange
Cite this Entry
“Shortchange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortchange. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share