dirt-cheap
adjective
very inexpensive.
Jump To:
-
dirt-cheap
-
dirt cheap
dirt cheapVery inexpensive, as in Their house was a real bargain, dirt cheap. Although the idea dates back to ancient times, the precise expression, literally meaning “as cheap as dirt,” replaced the now obsolete dog cheap. [Early 1800s]
dirt-cheap
American
[durt-cheep]
/ ˈdɜrtˈtʃip /
adjective
adverb
dirt-cheap
British
adjective
dirt cheap
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of dirt-cheap
First recorded in 1815–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The price might be right, but if you buy a dirt-cheap gadget, it could come with residential proxy software—preinstalled malware that gives hackers access to your home network.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
A petrochemical company has announced it intends to cut 60 jobs at a plant in East Yorkshire blaming high energy costs and "dirt-cheap" imports from China.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
Many airlines, especially discount carriers, quote a dirt-cheap base fare.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
The theory was that dirt-cheap money would encourage a modest rise in inflation that would stimulate corporate profits.
From New York Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
She purchased a dirt-cheap, used red Ford Pinto with fake-wood paneling.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
See also: Micron’s stock is still dirt cheap.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026
“The parking is dirt cheap and it’s right outside the door,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
“Ten grand’s a lot for a football game, but it’s dirt cheap to see Taylor Swift live, I will say that.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
They range from dirt cheap to spectacularly expensive, and some are more resilient to new variants than others.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2021
You could get everything from fence posts to lambing pens to refrigerators dirt cheap.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
