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Synonyms

pinch pennies

Idioms  

  1. Be thrifty or miserly, as in There's no need to pinch pennies now that you're working full-time. This term was first recorded in 1942.

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.

Besides, being broke and having to pinch pennies in college is a rite of passage, right?

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Some are buying less and looking for ways to pinch pennies.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2025

Another problem is that people will spend lots of money on airfare and hotels and then try to pinch pennies on activities like tours and restaurant meals.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2023

"I just want to be able to live a normal life, not having to pinch pennies at the end of every month," Hende said.

From Reuters • Jul. 16, 2022

“Oh, my! You really are a woman now. Turn around. The Jongwes didn’t pinch pennies on that cloth. And those earrings! You look beautiful!”

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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.