lowball

verb

low·​ball ˈlō-ˌbȯl 

lowballed; lowballing; lowballs

transitive verb

1

: to give (a customer) a deceptively low price or cost estimate

2

: to give a markedly or unfairly low offer

lowballed him in contract negotiations

lowball noun

Examples of lowball in a Sentence

It became clear that the contractor had lowballed us on the cost of materials.

Management lowballed him in contract negotiations.

Recent Examples on the Web

Survivors whose homes are standing face ballooning smoke remediation and restoration costs, as well as insurance companies that are lowballing payouts even though some offer smoke damage coverage. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2025

The 49ers, after years of rewarding their own at market-setting rates, can’t undermine Purdy’s position and stature by lowballing him. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025

An employer could use your EDR to find your past salary range and lowball you in negotiations. —Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025

For a while, the plays made sense: Luke has high numbers on the board and the banker lowballs him. —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lowball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale