regrate

regrate

A merchant regrates grain in the marketplace.

Definition

  1. Verb (historical):

    • To buy up goods (especially food) in order to resell them at a higher price: "regrate" refers to the practice of purchasing commodities, particularly essential provisions, with the intent of creating scarcity and charging inflated prices. This was historically considered an illegal or unethical trade practice.

  2. Noun (historical):

    • The act or practice of regrating: "regrate" as a noun denotes the activity of buying up goods for resale at an exorbitant price.
Usage Examples

  • Verb:

    • The merchant was fined for attempting to regrate grain during the famine. (He bought up grain to resell it at a high price during a shortage.)
    • Laws against regrating were common in medieval England to protect consumers. (Rules prohibited the practice of buying goods to resell at inflated prices.)

  • Noun:

    • The regrate of essential goods was considered a crime against the public. (The act of buying up essential goods for resale at high prices was illegal.)
Advanced Usage

  • "to commit regrate": to engage in the practice of buying up goods for resale at a higher price.

    • The baker was accused of committing regrate by hoarding flour. (He was accused of buying up flour to sell at a profit.)

  • "regrating" (gerund): the ongoing activity of regrating.

    • Regrating was heavily penalized in the 16th century. (The activity of buying up goods for resale was punished.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Regrator (noun): a person who engages in regrate.

    • The regrator was punished by the local authorities. (The person who bought up goods for resale was punished.)

  • Regrating (adjective): relating to the practice of regrate.

    • The regrating activities of the merchants caused public outrage. (The buying-up activities caused anger.)
Synonyms
  • Engross: to buy up large quantities of goods to control the market (historical).
  • Forestall: to buy goods before they reach the market to resell at a higher price (historical).
  • Corner the market: to gain control of the supply of a commodity to raise prices (modern equivalent).
Phrasal Verbs
  • (No common phrasal verbs directly associated with "regrate" as it is a historical term.)
Related Idioms
  • (No common idioms associated with "regrate" as it is a historical term.)