economize
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have economizedperfect
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has economizedperfect 3rd person singular
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are economizingprogressive
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has been economizingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been economizingperfect progressive
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is economizingprogressive 3rd person singular
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economizessingular 3rd person
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economizingparticiple
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am economizingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had economizedperfect
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were economizingprogressive plural
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was economizingprogressive singular
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had been economizingperfect progressive
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economizedsimple
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economizedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of economize
Explanation
To economize is to be frugal — to be careful not to waste anything, including money. You may need to economize on heating oil, keeping the temperature in your apartment on the nippy side during the winter. Giving a kid an allowance is one way to teach her to economize, spending it carefully in an attempt to save some and make the rest last. Unless money is no object, most people need to economize to some extent, being frugal and avoiding waste. In the 17th century, to economize was "to govern a household," from economy, at the time "household management," from the Greek oikonomia, "household management or thrift."
Vocabulary lists containing economize
Night
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Before We Were Free
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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.
Rubino says she’s aiming to economize as much as possible — and that means everything from buying lower-priced candy in bulk to reusing baskets from previous Easters.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
“Once you get this intense level of demand for these goods in a given geographic region, it makes sense to essentially establish a stocking location nearby to economize on transportation costs,” Miller said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Banks would economize on their reserve holdings and, in turn, depend less on reserves.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
You figure out what wording makes this joke concise, how to economize with words instead of overtalking, like I’m doing right now.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025
Mother had spent a good bit of money buying us new outfits so that we would make a good impression in California, and she thought she ought to economize on train accommodations.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
