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

synonym study for cheap

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM cheap

cheapish, adjectivecheap·ish·ly, adverbcheaply, adverbcheapness, noun

o·ver·cheap, adjectiveo·ver·cheap·ly, adverbo·ver·cheap·ness, nounun·cheap·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cheap in a sentence

"They are the cheapest thing on the market and they are what has been offered," he says.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, it takes more than $48,000 a year just to live sustainably in the cheapest parts of the United States.
Free Market Failure: Raising a Kid Is a Rigged Game in the USA|Monica Potts|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Riahi kept smiling and chain-smoking Cristal cigarettes, the cheapest Tunisian brand.
A Woman Blogger’s Scoop Helped Save Tunisia From Islamists|Thomas A. Bass|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cheapest countries to fly to, Seaney says, will be Germany, Ireland, and Spain.
14 Travel Predictions for 2014|Condé Nast Traveler|December 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST

While I prefer having all my books on one light device, e-books are still not the cheapest option in every case.
Print Textbooks Still Dominate Campus Textbook Market|Ashley Mungiguerra|August 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The cheapest cigars in New York are dispensed by dilapidated Chinamen, who have little stands about the streets and markets.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
A good, strong material will be found cheapest in the end, though the actual expenditure of money may be larger at first.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
The church, considering its capacity and general finish, is thought to be one of the cheapest buildings for miles round.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
Yet the struggle for mere existence is more and more intense, and labor is cheapest of commodities.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 3 of 8|Various
I rushed forthwith and took the cheapest ticket I could get, for the very top of the house.
Autobiographical Reminiscences with Family Letters and Notes on Music|Charles Gounod

British Dictionary definitions for cheap

cheap

/ (tʃiːp) /

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 forms of cheap

cheapish, 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

Other Idioms and Phrases with cheap

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

cheap

OTHER WORDS FOR cheap

OPPOSITES FOR cheap

Idioms about cheap

Origin of cheap

synonym study for cheap

OTHER WORDS FROM cheap

Words related to cheap

How to use cheap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cheap

Derived forms of cheap

Word Origin for cheap

Other Idioms and Phrases with cheap