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
Something that reflects how Dan Fogelman’s show is no longer behaving like a straightforward postapocalypse story and how this season’s narrative slips and slides through the timeline, increasingly shortchanging the series creator’s innate preference for sincerity.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
The Bears were shortchanged by the NFL, which refused to award them third-round comp picks in 2026 and 2027 for helping develop Ian Cunningham, now the Falcons’ GM.
—Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office has fined two swanky Beacon Hill restaurants more than $420,000 for shortchanging waiters of a 3% service fee the Boston establishments were charging customers.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Separateness was scrupulously honored and enforced, but equality was shortchanged with impunity.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortchange
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Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
The Bears were shortchanged by the NFL, which refused to award them third-round comp picks in 2026 and 2027 for helping develop Ian Cunningham, now the Falcons’ GM.
—Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office has fined two swanky Beacon Hill restaurants more than $420,000 for shortchanging waiters of a 3% service fee the Boston establishments were charging customers.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Separateness was scrupulously honored and enforced, but equality was shortchanged with impunity.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortchange
Cite this Entry
“Shortchange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortchange. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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