cheap

[ cheep ]

adjective

, cheap·er, cheap·est.

1. costing very little; relatively low in price; inexpensive:

   a cheap dress.

   Antonyms: expensive, dear, costly

2. costing little labor or trouble:

   Words are cheap.

3. charging low prices:

   a very cheap store.

4. of little account; of small value; mean; shoddy:

   cheap conduct; cheap workmanship.

   Synonyms: base, inferior, poor, low, paltry

5. embarrassed; sheepish:

   He felt cheap about his mistake.

6. obtainable at a low rate of interest:

   when money is cheap.

7. of decreased value or purchasing power, as currency depreciated due to inflation.
8. stingy; miserly:

   He's too cheap to buy his own brother a cup of coffee.

   Antonyms: charitable, generous

adverb

1. at a low price; at small cost:

   He is willing to sell cheap.

cheap

/ tʃiːp /

adjective

1. costing relatively little; inexpensive; good value
2. charging low prices

   a cheap hairdresser

3. of poor quality; shoddy

   cheap and nasty

   cheap furniture

4. worth relatively little

   promises are cheap

5. not worthy of respect; vulgar
6. ashamed; embarrassed

   to feel cheap

7. stingy; miserly
8. informal.
   mean; despicable

   a cheap liar

9. cheap as chips
   See chip
10. dirt cheap informal.
    extremely inexpensive

noun

1. on the cheap informal.
   at a low cost

adverb

1. at very little cost

Derived Forms

• ˈcheaply, adverb
• ˈcheapness, noun
• ˈcheapish, adjective

Other Words From

• cheapish adjective
• cheapish·ly adverb
• cheaply adverb
• cheapness noun
• over·cheap adjective
• over·cheaply adverb
• over·cheapness noun
• un·cheaply adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheap¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English cheep (short for phrases such as good cheep “cheap,” literally, “good bargain”), Old English cēap “bargain, market, trade”; cognate with German Kauf, Old Norse kaup; all from Latin caupō “innkeeper, tradesman”; chapman

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheap¹

Old English ceap barter, bargain, price, property; related to Old Norse kaup bargain, Old High German kouf trade, Latin caupō innkeeper

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cheap at twice the price, exceedingly inexpensive:

   I found this old chair for eight dollars—it would be cheap at twice the price.

2. on the cheap, Informal. inexpensively; economically:

   She enjoys traveling on the cheap.

More idioms and phrases containing cheap

• dirt cheap
• on the cheap

Synonym Study

Cheap, inexpensive agree in their suggestion of low cost. Cheap now usually suggests shoddiness, inferiority, showy imitation, complete unworthiness, and the like: a cheap kind of fur. Inexpensive emphasizes lowness of price (although more expensive than cheap ) and suggests that the value is fully equal to the cost: an inexpensive dress. It is often used as an evasion for the more specific cheap.

Example Sentences

Today, two groups report in Nature the discovery of catalysts that could offer a cheaper way to clean up the chemicals.

From Science Magazine

Houses for sale in a flood zone are around 10% cheaper than surrounding areas, according to new research.

From Science Daily

The carmaker is attempting to move away from its past as a mass-manufacturer of cheap "runabouts", and position itself as more upmarket brand, focused on electric cars.

From BBC

They want to make it less relevant and less effective — and cheaper, the better to preserve those tax cuts.

From Los Angeles Times

The city doesn’t have cheap or remote land, and Bass does not believe she would need to use more aggressive tactics to get people off the street, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• competitive
• economical
• low-cost
• low-priced
• reasonable