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
But Bauer and others contended the hospital is being shortchanged on parking spaces.
—
Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2025
Some housing activists also question whether using scarce public dollars to pay for mixed-income housing will yet again shortchange those who most need governmental assistance – namely, the poor.
—Susanne Schindler, The Conversation, 7 July 2025
Democrats argue that millions of Americans — from children to seniors, and in red and blue states — will be shortchanged by a Trump approach that nonpartisan and think tank studies suggest will provide the greatest benefits to corporations and wealthy individuals.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for shortchange
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Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2025
Some housing activists also question whether using scarce public dollars to pay for mixed-income housing will yet again shortchange those who most need governmental assistance – namely, the poor.
—Susanne Schindler, The Conversation, 7 July 2025
Democrats argue that millions of Americans — from children to seniors, and in red and blue states — will be shortchanged by a Trump approach that nonpartisan and think tank studies suggest will provide the greatest benefits to corporations and wealthy individuals.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for shortchange
Cite this Entry
“Shortchange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortchange. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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