cheap Hear it!

cheap Definition

cheap (c̸hēp)

adjective

  1. low in price or cost; not expensive
  2. charging low prices a chain of cheap stores
  3. spending or able to spend little a cheaper clientele
  4. worth more than the price
  5. costing little labor or trouble; easily gotten a cheap victory
  6. of little value or poor quality; virtually worthless
  7. deserving of scorn; contemptible made cheap by their own behavior
  8. Informal stingy; niggardly
  9. Econ. lowered in exchange value or buying power; also, available at low interest rates: said of money

Etymology: < good cheap, favorable bargain < ME god chep (used as transl. of OFr à bon marché) < OE ceap, a purchase, bargain, akin to Ger kaufen, to buy; ult. < L caupo, petty tradesman

adverb

at a low cost; cheaply

noun

  1. a market: now only in place names Cheapside
  2. Obsolete a bargain

Etymology: OE ceap, market; akin to Dan kjob (ON kaup) as in Kjöbnhavn (Copenhagen)

cheap Related Forms

cheaply adverb cheap·ness noun

cheap Idioms

on the cheap

at very little cost; cheaply

cheap Synonyms

cheap

modif.

  1. Low in relative price

    inexpensive, low-priced, reasonable, economical, affordable, moderate, family-size, economy-size, economy, budget, utility (grade), reduced, marked down, discounted, depreciated, slashed, standard, modest, cut-rate, on sale, competitive, thrifty, bargain, bargain-priced, sale-priced, irregular, cut-price, low-cost, at a bargain, half-price, popular-priced, worth the money, rock-bottom, second, dime-a-dozen*, dirt-cheap*, costing peanuts*, for a song*, bargain-basement*; see also economical 2.

    Antonyms expensive*, dear*, costly. *

  2. Low in quality

    inferior, shoddy, poorly made, sleazy*; see common 1, poor 2.

  3. Dishonest or base

    dirty, tawdry, low, contemptible; see dishonest 2.

  4. Stingy*

    miserly, penurious, tight*; see stingy.

cheap and inexpensive both mean low in cost or price, but inexpensive simply suggests value comparable to the price, and cheap, in this sense, stresses a bargain; cheap may also imply inferior quality or value, tawdriness, contemptibility, etc. cheap jewelry, to feel cheap

cheap Usage Examples

Preposition: as

chip: The CDs sound very cool and cheap as proverbial chips.

Modifies a noun

  • flight: Click here to see our cheap flights to Beijing.
  • insurance: Two cheap car insurance in new jersey decades with some saving to sign policy.
  • labor: Officials are now using cheap labor in India to correct the errors.
  • airfare: Book cheap airfares, discount hotels and car rental.
  • uk: For instance landlords car cheap driver insurance uk young or withdrawal from.
  • fare: On your bike, Lord Snooty â this is one worker prepared to fight to the death for his cheap air fares.

Used with adjective complement

  • ai: It ain't cheap, but you do save everywhere else.
  • come: Of course this kind of luxury doesn't come cheap.
  • buy: The washer bottle is made from an alloy drink bottle bought cheap from an outdoor shop.

Infinitive complement

  • buy: Comet stocks only the best brands which are considerably cheaper to buy online than in store.
  • fly: Just as car travel has never ever been so cheap, it has never been so cheap to fly.
  • install: At some of the lower levels, the solutions can be very simple and cheap to install.
  • run: Plus, the fluorescent lamps are cheaper to run than filament bulbs.
  • produce: Superkings and Regal are cheaper to produce than Lambert and Butler.

Modifying Another Word

  • relatively: Curiously, I also seem to recall that pizza's were relatively cheap.
  • considerably: The price of all these books is considerably cheaper than buying from your local bookshop.

Preposition: in

  • jersey: Excluded due car cheap in insurance jersey new to only national association.
  • uk: The measure car cheap in insurance uk might policy experts suggest premiums achieve full but were not.

Preposition: than

buying: It worked out a lot cheaper than buying from Acticare.

Browse dictionary entries near cheap

  1. ChE
  2. chazan
  3. chayote
  4. chay
  5. chaw
  6. Chavannes
  7. chauvinist
  8. chauvinism
  9. chautauqua
  10. chaussure
  1. cheap-jack
  2. cheap shot
  3. cheapen
  4. cheapie
  5. cheaply
  6. cheapo
  7. Cheapside
  8. cheapskate
  9. cheat
  10. cheated