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
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
There was never any intention to shortchange my presence in the narrative.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
The potential benefits would go to education, in particular, as well as to health care, child care and a slew of other state services that Democrats say have been shortchanged by a system that has been largely untouched for nearly 20 years.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortchange
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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
There was never any intention to shortchange my presence in the narrative.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
The potential benefits would go to education, in particular, as well as to health care, child care and a slew of other state services that Democrats say have been shortchanged by a system that has been largely untouched for nearly 20 years.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 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 11 Mar. 2026.
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