noun

short seller

an investor betting a share price will fall

In more detail

1. (noun) a person or company that borrows stocks or other assets and sells them, hoping to buy them back later at a lower price and make a profit

2. (noun) someone who bets that the price of something will fall

Examples

1. The short seller profited when the company's stock price dropped after the scandal.
2. Short sellers often take risks because they must eventually return the borrowed shares.

How to use short seller

Short seller is primarily a financial term used in stock market and investment contexts to describe traders who take bearish positions. It is more specific and formal than the casual term 'bear,' and typically implies an active strategy rather than mere pessimism. The term is used neutrally in financial reporting but can carry negative connotations in popular discourse, as short sellers are sometimes blamed for stock price declines.

Common phrases

short seller activity
aggressive short seller
short seller pressure
short sellers betting against
short seller positions

Synonyms

bear · short · speculator

Opposites

long buyer · bull

Word family

short selling (noun) · short sell (verb) · shorting (gerund) · short (adjective/verb)

A common mistake

Learners often confuse 'short seller' with someone who simply sells something quickly or hastily; it is a technical finance term specific to borrowing and selling with the intent to repurchase at lower prices.

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