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  • dirt-cheap
    dirt-cheap
    adjective
    very inexpensive.
  • dirt cheap
    dirt cheap
    Very 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]
Synonyms

dirt-cheap

American  
[durt-cheep] / ˈdɜrtˈtʃip /

adjective

  1. very inexpensive.

    The house may need a lot of work, but it was dirt-cheap.

adverb

  1. cheaply.

    They got it dirt-cheap.
dirt-cheap British  

adjective

  1. informal at an extremely low price

"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
dirt cheap Idioms  

  1. Very 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]

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.

Michael Gutberlet, CEO of Kaweco Pen Company, a German penmaker founded in 1883, tells his industry peers that dirt-cheap Chinese copies are as big of a threat as the decline of handwriting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

Still, there are no guarantees that they will be able to compete with the dirt-cheap yards of South Asia.

From BBC • Oct. 5, 2023

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

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.