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

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

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

The artificial body parts are not cheap, especially for Venezuelans living in a country mired in economic crisis.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

But protein-packed ice cream often doesn't come cheap.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

It’s worth noting that the tax benefits enjoyed by retirement account holders — and especially those with mega-accounts — don’t come cheap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

This week’s second-quarter auto-loan data is also a reminder of how far drivers have sped past the days when five-year car loans were typical and cheap new cars were easy to find.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

They’d wrapped their gifts in something Mama had bought for very cheap in the village: it was “cloth” that seemed to also be paper.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

There are cheaper routes into the Leeds United defence than Bijol at £5m, with Joe Rodon's minutes looking secure for just £4.5m.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

"Therefore, investing in or owning an English football club provides a cheaper entry point with potential for a higher growth ceiling and more international reach."

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Sodium-ion is being pitched as a safer, potentially cheaper alternative to lithium-ion, but other nascent technologies have different advantages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

A delicious, slender bean-and-cheese burrito with no sauce at the venerable Al & Bea’s in Boyle Heights is going for six bucks and change right now when it was about $2 cheaper two years ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

And as she spoke, she saw it, among the shelves of smaller, cheaper, dustier wares.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

When adjusted for inflation, the price of this year's cheapest ticket has actually fallen over the last decade.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

GasBuddy compiles a daily list of the ten cheapest gas stations by city and offers an interactive map that allows you to search up prices at every station.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Ukraine's underground storage operator, Ukrtransgaz, presented earlier this year an analysis showing that Croatia's LNG terminal could provide the cheapest route to supply the country.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

The Atlanta-based carrier has spent years upending conventional airline wisdom that customers care mostly about finding the cheapest seat that works in their schedules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

These numbers show why people with limited money to spend on food spend it on the cheapest calories they can find.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• competitive
• economical
• low-cost
• low-priced
• reasonable