Lowball

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To propose a price or offer significantly less than what something is worth to gain advantage
2. To submit a bid or estimate that is deliberately below the actual value to win a deal
3. To present an unreasonably low amount when negotiating the cost of an item or service

Etymology: "Lowball" began as an American railroad term for one of two positions of a ball signal, the ball being a signal device raised or lowered on a pole to tell engineers how to proceed. It was a partner to "highball," the raised position meaning go ahead, and "lowball" named the lowered position. The pairing is what links the two words: both describe positions of the same signal, with one high and one low. The sense of underbidding came later, and the link is most likely a figurative extension of the lower position, though the exact route from signal to bidding is not documented in the source, so the connection should be taken as an informed guess rather than settled fact. Either way, the modern verb keeps the core idea of setting a figure beneath what is really wanted, now applied to deals and estimates instead of trains.

Synonyms: undervalue, underbid, devalue, discount, offer low

Antonyms: overvalue, overbid, inflate, maximize, increase