scrimp
- to be sparing or frugal; economize (often followed by on): They scrimped and saved for everything they have. He spends most of his money on clothes, and scrimps on food.
- to be sparing or restrictive of or in; limit severely: to scrimp food.
- to keep on short allowance; provide sparingly for: to scrimp their elderly parents.
Origin of scrimp
Synonyms for scrimp
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for scrimp
Contemporary Examples of scrimp
He decides instead to “scrimp and save”—and to collect aluminum cans on Capitol Hill to make up the difference.
Speed Read: 11 Best Bits from Joe Biden Satire ‘The President of Vice’Caroline Linton
January 19, 2013
Historical Examples of scrimp
He felt that he had earned a good one, and did not intend to scrimp himself.
FlintMaud Wilder Goodwin
The manager has a fixed salary, so that there is no temptation to scrimp the buyers.
Lives of Poor Boys Who Became FamousSarah K. Bolton
The news was entirely unexpected and very unwelcome to Mrs. Scrimp.
Grandmother ElsieMartha Finley
"I've always had medical advice for her when it was needed," snapped Mrs. Scrimp.
Grandmother ElsieMartha Finley
Mrs. Scrimp and Gracie were already seated at the table and had began their meal.
Grandmother ElsieMartha Finley
scrimp
- (when intr, sometimes foll by on) to be very economical or sparing in the use (of) (esp in the phrase scrimp and save)
- (tr) to treat meanlyhe is scrimping his children
- (tr) to cut too small
- a less common word for scant
Word Origin for scrimp
Word Origin and History for scrimp
"to make too small," 1774, originally in English an adjective, "scant, meager" (1718), possibly from a Scandinavian source (cf. Swedish skrumpna "to shrink, shrivel up," Danish skrumpen "shrunken, shriveled"), or from a continental Germanic source akin to Middle High German schrimpfen, German schrumpfen "to shrivel," from Proto-Germanic *skrimp-, from PIE root *(s)kerb- "to turn, bend." Related: Scrimped; scrimping.