hedge

[ hej ]

noun

1. a row of bushes or small trees planted close together, especially when forming a fence or boundary; hedgerow:

   small fields separated by hedges.

2. any barrier or boundary:

   a hedge of stones.

3. an act or means of preventing complete loss of a bet, an argument, an investment, or the like, with a partially counterbalancing or qualifying one.

verb (used with object)

, hedged, hedg·ing.

1. to enclose with or separate by a hedge:

   to hedge a garden.

2. to surround and confine as if with a hedge; restrict (often followed by in, about, etc.):

   He felt hedged in by the rules of language.

3. to protect with qualifications that allow for unstated contingencies or for withdrawal from commitment:

   He hedged his program against attack and then presented it to the board.

4. to mitigate a possible loss by counterbalancing (one's bets, investments, etc.).
5. to prevent or hinder free movement; obstruct:

   to be hedged by poverty.

verb (used without object)

, hedged, hedg·ing.

1. to avoid a rigid commitment by qualifying or modifying a position so as to permit withdrawal:

   He felt that he was speaking too boldly and began to hedge before they could contradict him.

   Synonyms: waffle, temporize, delay, stall, evade

2. to prevent complete loss of a bet by betting an additional amount or amounts against the original bet.
3. Finance. to enter transactions that will protect against loss through a compensatory price movement.

hedge

/ hɛdʒ /

noun

1. a row of shrubs, bushes, or trees forming a boundary to a field, garden, etc
2. a barrier or protection against something
3. the act or a method of reducing the risk of financial loss on an investment, bet, etc
4. a cautious or evasive statement
5. modifier; often in combination low, inferior, or illiterate

   a hedge lawyer

verb

1. tr to enclose or separate with or as if with a hedge
2. intr to make or maintain a hedge, as by cutting and laying
3. tr; often foll by in, about, or around to hinder, obstruct, or restrict
4. intr to evade decision or action, esp by making noncommittal statements
5. tr to guard against the risk of loss in (a bet, the paying out of a win, etc), esp by laying bets with other bookmakers
6. intr to protect against financial loss through future price fluctuations, as by investing in futures

Derived Forms

• ˈhedgy, adjective
• ˈhedging, noun
• ˈhedger, noun

Other Words From

• hedgeless adjective
• un·hedge verb (used with object) unhedged unhedging
• un·hedged adjective
• well-hedged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hedge¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English hegge; cognate with Dutch heg, German Hecke hedge, Old Norse heggr bird cherry

Word History and Origins

Origin of hedge¹

Old English hecg; related to Old High German heckia, Middle Dutch hegge; see haw ¹

Example Sentences

The Oakland recall against Thao, meanwhile, was heavily funded by hedge fund executive Philip Dreyfuss, who lives in Piedmont, a picturesque city surrounded by Oakland’s borders.

From Los Angeles Times

Thao rejected that criticism, most notably in an open letter to Dreyfuss, the hedge fund manager, that accused him of “trying to buy our city government.”

From Los Angeles Times

Cornyn and Thune do, at least, attempt to hedge.

From Slate

McCormick is a military veteran and former hedge fund CEO.

From Salon

Rather, for hedge fund owner Bill Ackman, it’s vindication that X—where Ackman repeatedly pushed disinformation around network news, vaccines, and plagiarism—is the epitome of accuracy.

From Slate

Related Words

• fence
• shrubbery