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pinchpenny

American  
[pinch-pen-ee] / ˈpɪntʃˌpɛn i /

noun

pinchpennies plural
  1. a stingy person; miser.


adjective

  1. stingy; miserly.

pinchpenny British  
/ ˈpɪntʃˌpɛnɪ /

adjective

  1. niggardly; miserly

"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

noun

  1. a miserly person; niggard

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of pinchpenny

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English pynchepeny; see origin at pinch, penny ( def. )

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.

Produced for a pinchpenny $12 million, the movie stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as afflicted adolescents who meet at a cancer group-therapy session and fall splendidly in love.

From Time • Jun. 7, 2014

If he could keep the ragtag A's in playoff contention on a pinchpenny budget, he might be able to run a winning government on a shoestring.

From Time • Sep. 10, 2011

Adhering to pinchpenny rules laid down by his boss, pulp tycoon A.A.

From Time • Mar. 4, 2011

The huge and unexpected triumph of A Room with a View has brought in lavish Hollywood offers but has failed to alter Merchant's pinchpenny philosophy.

From Time Magazine Archive

“My days of being a pinchpenny might be coming to an end.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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