cheap

American  

[cheep] / tʃip /

adjective

• cheaper,
  comparative
• cheapest
  superlative

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

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adverb

1. at a low price; at small cost.

   He is willing to sell cheap.

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, inexpensively; economically.

   She enjoys traveling on the cheap.

cheap British  

/ tʃiːp /

adjective

1. costing relatively little; inexpensive; good value

2. charging low prices

   a cheap hairdresser

3. of poor quality; shoddy

   cheap furniture

   cheap and nasty

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. See chip

10. informal extremely inexpensive

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noun

1. informal at a low cost

adverb

1. at very little cost

cheap More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cheap

• dirt cheap
• on the cheap

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Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cheapness
  noun
• overcheapness
  noun
• cheapish
  adjective
• overcheap
  adjective
• cheapishly
  adverb
• cheaply
  adverb
• overcheaply
  adverb
• uncheaply
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• cheaper
  comparative
• cheapest
  superlative

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Etymology

Origin of cheap

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”; see chapman

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Explanation

Something cheap doesn't cost much money. But watch out, because cheap things are also often cheaply made. When prices are low, they're cheap: that's a good thing. However, this word is often an insult. Hitting someone who isn't looking is a cheap shot. Things that aren't very well made and use low-quality materials are cheap. When someone — especially a woman — is dressed in a trashy way, people say "You look cheap!" And if you have a stingy Uncle Scrooge in your family, you can call him cheap or even a cheapskate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cheap cheaper cheapest

If AI turns out to be this cycle’s housing, even an expensive insurance policy could look cheap in hindsight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

One of its priorities will be to quickly establish an American-made pipeline of cheap, unmanned systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

The caller might promise a cheap loan or help with overdue payments, the FCC says.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

The team that opened the season as the overwhelming favorite to win Super Bowl LXI continued to look like a cheap imitation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

Then she very neatly folded up the wrapping, though it was just cheap, ordinary material.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Shares are trading at a cheaper multiple than storage stocks, making Micron attractive, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

"Essentially, producing more British energy doesn't necessarily mean cheaper British energy," Karl Matikonis, professor of taxation at University College Dublin, told BBC Verify.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

One surefire way to skirt the second apron is to have young players on cheaper contracts, and another is to employ an older player more interested in chasing championships than collecting cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

The company hopes to make diagnostic testing cheaper and more accessible — a mission that may sound awfully familiar to anyone who followed the rise and fall of Theranos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Eric should wait until the fall, when he’d officially be an Illinois resident and tuition would be far cheaper.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

The cheapest tickets on the secondary market cost nearly $3,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

At those premiums, an aging hull is the cheapest ship to risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

First-time buyers were facing average house prices equivalent to four-and-a-half times household income in Cardiff, compared with just over three-and-a-half times in Blaenau Gwent where houses were cheapest, according to the data.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

“For the cartel, it is the cheapest way for them to do business,” said Kevin Carter, owner of Collateral Consultants, a rental car recovery company in Texas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

She had bought the cheapest car she could find.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

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Related Words

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