low·ball

(lō′bôl′)

tr.v. low·balled, low·bal·ling, low·balls Informal

To underestimate or understate (a cost) deliberately: "I get hopping mad every time I see a politician lowballing the cost of his latest healthcare boondoggle" (Megan McArdle).

[From the card game of the same name.]

low′ball′ adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lowball

(ˈləʊˌbɔːl)

1. (Card Games) a game of poker in which the player with the lowest hand wins

2. (Commerce)

a. a very low estimate or offer

b. (as modifier): a lowball bid.

(Commerce) (tr) to make a very low estimate or offer for (a service, product, company, etc)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

low•ball

(ˈloʊˌbɔl)

v.t.

1. to deliberately estimate a lower price for than one intends to charge.

2. to give a false estimate for.

[1965–70]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb

lowball - make a deliberately low estimate; "The construction company wanted the contract badly and lowballed"

underestimate

estimate, gauge, approximate, guess, judge - judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time); "I estimate this chicken to weigh three pounds"

Mentioned in

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