cheapen

[ chee-puhn ]
See synonyms for: cheapencheapened on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to make cheap or cheaper.

  2. to lower in esteem; bring into contempt: Constant swearing cheapened him.

  1. to decrease the quality or beauty of; make inferior or vulgar: She cheapened the dress by adding a fringe to it.

  2. Archaic. to bargain for.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become cheap or cheaper.

Origin of cheapen

1
1555–65; cheap + -en1; replacing Middle English chepen (>obsolete English cheap (v.)) to price, bargain, Old English cēapian to bargain, trade, buy; cognate with Old Norse kaupa,Gothic kaupōn,German kaufen

Other words from cheapen

  • cheap·en·er, noun
  • un·cheap·ened, adjective

Words Nearby cheapen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cheapen in a sentence

  • The first are books that bring added value to the popular, the second cheapen the whole proposition of publishing.

    The $5 Million Ghost Story | Celia McGee | October 3, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • We came not to any agreement, but did cheapen several parcels, and thence away, promising to send again to them.

  • No, sir; 'tisn' the rule, an' us can't begin to cheapen the fee wi' a man o' your inches.

    Wandering Heath | Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
  • "Girls, you cheapen yourselves by lack  of purpose in life," says Rena L. Miner.

    How to Succeed | Orison Swett Marden
  • Good tools facilitate and cheapen cultivation, and increase the yield of crops, Money paid out for such tools is well expended.

    Soil Culture | J. H. Walden
  • He wished to cheapen everything as his own produce had been cheapened.

British Dictionary definitions for cheapen

cheapen

/ (ˈtʃiːpən) /


verb
  1. to make or become lower in reputation, quality, etc; degrade or be degraded

  2. to make or become cheap or cheaper

Derived forms of cheapen

  • cheapener, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012