winner's curse

noun

The phenomenon whereby the winner of an auction is likely to overpay, since each bid represents a bidder's estimate of the item's value, and one would expect the average bid to be the most accurate.

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Meanings

noun
  1. auctionscomputingThe phenomenon whereby the winner of an auction is likely to overpay, since each bid represents a bidder's estimate of the item's value, and one would expect the average bid to be the most accurate.
Cite this entry
APA

winner's curse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winner's%20curse

MLA

“winner's curse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winner's%20curse. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “winner's curse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winner's%20curse.

Source: winner's curse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.