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definitions

cheap

[cheep]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cheap ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, cheap·er, cheap·est.

adverb

at a low price; at small cost: He is willing to sell cheap.

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RELATED WORDS

low-cost, reasonable, low-priced, competitive, economical, poor, bad, dirty, tight, bargain, budget, buy, irregular, moderate, nominal, reduced, sale, standard, steal, utility

Nearby words

  1. chb,
  2. chd,
  3. che,
  4. che guevara,
  5. che sarà sarà,
  6. cheap at twice the price,
  7. cheap out,
  8. cheap shot,
  9. cheap skate,
  10. cheap-jack

Idioms

    cheap at twice the price, exceedingly inexpensive: I found this old chair for eight dollars—it would be cheap at twice the price.
    on the cheap, Informal. inexpensively; economically: She enjoys traveling on the cheap.

Origin of cheap

before 900; Middle English cheep (short for phrases, as good cheep cheap, literally, good bargain), Old English cēap bargain, market, trade; cognate with German Kauf, Old Norse kaup; all < Latin caupō innkeeper, tradesman; see chapman
ANTONYMS FOR cheap
1. costly, dear, expensive. 8. generous, charitable.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR cheap ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms

Synonym study

1, 4. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cheapest

British Dictionary definitions for cheapest

cheap

adjective

costing relatively little; inexpensive; good value
charging low pricesa cheap hairdresser
of poor quality; shoddycheap furniture; cheap and nasty
worth relatively littlepromises are cheap
not worthy of respect; vulgar
ashamed; embarrassedto feel cheap
stingy; miserly
informal mean; despicablea cheap liar
cheap as chips See chip (def. 11)
dirt cheap informal extremely inexpensive

noun

on the cheap British informal at a low cost

adverb

at very little cost
Derived Formscheapish, adjectivecheaply, adverbcheapness, noun

Word Origin for cheap

Old English ceap barter, bargain, price, property; related to Old Norse kaup bargain, Old High German kouf trade, Latin caupō innkeeper
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
Word Origin and History for cheapest

cheap

adj.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with cheapest

cheap

In addition to the idioms beginning with cheap

  • cheap at twice the price
  • cheap shot
  • cheap skate

also see:

  • dirt cheap
  • on the cheap
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.