shortchange
Verb
Meaning
To defraud someone by giving them less change than they should be given after a transaction.
I got shortchanged! …I gave him $10 for a $5 item and he only gave me $1 back.
(by extension) To deprive someone of something for which they paid.
The elective class was easy, but in the end I was shortchanging myself.
To make disadvantaged by design.
Being proud of mistreating shortchanged "enemies" is a likely sign of class consciousness, as well as thinking or speaking ill of them.
Synonyms
Examples
It’s not a comic novel, by any stretch, but neglecting to mention its humor would shortchange it and deform one’s initial idea of it.
The advantage is that you are guaranteed to benefit from the full effect of any rate cut - lenders frequently shortchange borrowers by reducing their SVR, say, 0.2 per cent when the central bank has cut by 0.25 per cent.
No other modern country gives corporations the unfettered power found in America to gouge customers, shortchange workers and erect barriers to fair play.
Otherwise, you shortchange Newford and yourself.
But they have tied the notion to another, equally provocative question: Does Harvard shortchange Asian-Americans in admissions?
But when making decisions about how to invest your time, energy and capital, you should remember that in today’s marketplace, you cannot afford to shortchange your branding.