shortchange

verb

short·​change ˈshȯrt-ˈchānj 

shortchanged; shortchanging; shortchanges

transitive verb

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

Synonyms of shortchange

• cheat
• squeeze
• pluck
• hustle
• sting
• beat
• do
• screw
• stick
• deceive
• defraud
• victimize

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

Other typically snowy areas have been shortchanged so far. —Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025

Badly shortchanged by its pandemic release, Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel is still one of the director’s most underrated efforts. —Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2025

Some rounded prices down to avoid shortchanging shoppers. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025

Greenblatt’s myth of a Romantic Marlowe almost singlehandedly pushing England into the Renaissance betrays the principles of New Historicism by shortchanging the roles of so many other key players. —Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shortchange

• arrange
• derange
• estrange
• exchange
• midrange
• change
• grange
• mange
• range
• strange
• interchange
• rearrange

Kids Definition

shortchange

verb

short·​change -ˈchānj 

1

: to give less than the correct amount of change to

2

: to give less than due : cheat