nickel-and-dime

American  

[nik-uhl-uhn-dahym] / ˈnɪk əl ənˈdaɪm /

adjective

1. of little or no importance; trivial; petty.

   a nickel-and-dime business that soon folded.

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verb (used with object)

nickel-and-dimed, nickeled-and-dimed, nickel-and-diming, nickeling-and-diming

1. to expose to financial hardship or bankruptcy by the accumulation of small expenses, bills, etc..

   We're being nickel-and-dimed to death by these small weekly expenses.

2. to hinder, annoy, or harass with trivialities or nonessentials.

   to be nickeled-and-dimed by petty criticisms.

Etymology

Origin of nickel-and-dime

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

It’s so refreshing to see hotels that don’t nickel-and-dime you.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

But don’t nickel-and-dime your enjoyment of your life in order to punish yourself for financial decisions.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

Many teams are trying to slow down Kansas City’s offense by playing zone defenses, but the tradeoff is watching Travis Kelce nickel-and-dime his way down the field.

From Washington Times • Oct. 15, 2023

After years of allegedly running other nickel-and-dime scams, Santos appears to have concluded, for good reason, that the GOP donation pool is composed of easily shaken down marks.

From Salon • Oct. 12, 2023

“And don’t tell me you were some kind of nickel-and-dime Romeo, either.”

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• frivolous
• lesser
• minor
• narrow-minded