underbid
verb
un·der·bid
ˌən-dər-ˈbid 
underbid; underbidding
1
: to bid less than (a competing bidder)
2
: to bid (a hand of cards) at less than the strength of the hand warrants
: to bid too low
underbidder
noun
Examples of underbid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Without stricter measures, worker advocates said, companies that adhere to the law are at a competitive disadvantage against unscrupulous companies that can underbid on government contracts.
—
Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 15 July 2024
Austal, for its part, was desperate for contracts … observers worried that the yard might have underbid in desperation.
—Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 28 July 2023
Neither theory explains the Republican determination to dramatically underbid the Democrats on relief spending three months before an election, nor the emergence of a faction within the Senate Republicans that doesn’t want to spend more money on relief at all.
—Ross Douthat New York Times, Star Tribune, 4 Aug. 2020
State officials awarded the contract in 2019 despite concerns about Optum’s record after the company underbid the incumbent contractor, Beacon Health Options, by $72.1 million.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2022
Three separate divisions within that bank underbid each other to have rights to the line of credit.
—Zenger News, Forbes, 11 June 2021
Documents from the review cite concerns after G4S slashed wages to underbid competitors and then hired untrained guards when others quit.
—USA Today, 31 Oct. 2019
The primary example concerns a case from the 1970s in which the AIA suspended Aram Mardirosian for seeking a contract that was already awarded to another architect by underbidding him.
—Diana Budds, Curbed, 5 Aug. 2019
Jeff Eller, spokesman for the Rail Security Alliance, a group of American rail car companies, said CRRC is supported by the government of China and can underbid on contracts with no market consequences, which is unfair to other companies.
—Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, 5 Aug. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 15 July 2024
Austal, for its part, was desperate for contracts … observers worried that the yard might have underbid in desperation.
—Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 28 July 2023
Neither theory explains the Republican determination to dramatically underbid the Democrats on relief spending three months before an election, nor the emergence of a faction within the Senate Republicans that doesn’t want to spend more money on relief at all.
—Ross Douthat New York Times, Star Tribune, 4 Aug. 2020
State officials awarded the contract in 2019 despite concerns about Optum’s record after the company underbid the incumbent contractor, Beacon Health Options, by $72.1 million.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2022
Three separate divisions within that bank underbid each other to have rights to the line of credit.
—Zenger News, Forbes, 11 June 2021
Documents from the review cite concerns after G4S slashed wages to underbid competitors and then hired untrained guards when others quit.
—USA Today, 31 Oct. 2019
The primary example concerns a case from the 1970s in which the AIA suspended Aram Mardirosian for seeking a contract that was already awarded to another architect by underbidding him.
—Diana Budds, Curbed, 5 Aug. 2019
Jeff Eller, spokesman for the Rail Security Alliance, a group of American rail car companies, said CRRC is supported by the government of China and can underbid on contracts with no market consequences, which is unfair to other companies.
—Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, 5 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Underbid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underbid. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underbid
verb
un·der·bid
ˌən-dər-ˈbid
underbid; underbidding
1
: to bid less than a competing bidder
2
: to bid too low (as in cards)
underbidder
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share