underbought
Definition
- Verb (past tense and past participle of ):
- To purchase at a lower price than the market value or than someone else: "underbought" refers to the act of buying goods or assets for less than their typical or fair price, or buying more cheaply than a competitor.
- To buy insufficiently: In rare usage, it can mean to purchase less than what is needed or expected.
Usage Examples
- (Purchased at a lower price than the market value.)
- (Bought more cheaply than a competitor.)
- (Purchased insufficiently.)
Advanced Usage
- "to have underbought": Used in perfect tenses to emphasize a completed action of buying cheaply.
- By the time prices rose, they had underbought enough raw materials to last the year. (They had purchased at low prices.)
Variants and Related Words
Underbuy (v): the base verb meaning to buy at a lower price or to buy too little.
- We decided to underbuy during the clearance sale. (To purchase at a reduced price.)
Underbuyer (n): a person who buys goods at a lower price, often for resale.
- The underbuyer negotiated a bulk discount. (A buyer who purchases cheaply.)
Synonyms
- Bought cheaply: acquired at a low cost.
- Purchased at a discount: obtained for less than the usual price.
- Undercut in buying: bought at a price lower than a competitor.
Related Idioms
Get a bargain: to buy something at a favourable price.
- She got a bargain on the antique vase. (She bought it cheaply.)
Buy low, sell high: a common investment strategy of purchasing assets at a low price and selling when the price rises.
- The trader underbought shares and later sold them at a profit. (Bought low.)