shortchange

To shortchange someone is to give them less than what they deserve. Sometimes people shortchange others because they are not thinking about the consequences of their actions.

  • The store shortchanged the customer by not giving them the product that they bought.

  • The company shortchanged the employees by not paying them what they were owed.

Definition of shortchange

verb

To defraud someone by giving them less change than they should be given after a transaction.

verb

(by extension) To deprive someone of something for which they paid.

verb

To make disadvantaged by design.

Nearby Words

shortchange Pronunciation in a video (2)