scrooge
verb (used with or without object)
scrooge
1 American
[skrooj]
/ skrudʒ /
verb (used with or without object)
scrooged,
scrooging
Scrooge
2
American
[skrooj]
/ skrudʒ /
noun
-
Ebenezer a miserly curmudgeon in Dickens' Christmas Carol.
-
(often lowercase) any miserly person.
Scrooge
British
/ skruːdʒ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of Scrooge
1935–40, Scrooge for def. 2
Explanation
A scrooge is a person who is stingy with money: scrooges would rather do anything than part with a buck. The novels of Charles Dickens have contributed more than a dozen words that found their way into everyday language. Scrooge, the chief character from A Christmas Carol, is perhaps the best-known of them all. Like the character, a scrooge is a selfish person who doesn't like giving or spending. Scrooges keep a tight hold on every penny, even if they’re rich. You can also call a scrooge a miser or skinflint. Someone generous is the opposite of a scrooge.
Vocabulary lists containing scrooge
You Name It: Eponyms
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Scrooge, Grinch, and Churl: Wonderful Words for Unpleasant People
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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.
"There's a few out there who think I'm a bit of a scrooge but my friends think it's quite a good idea," she said.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2022
I know we're starved for sports, and maybe I'm being a scrooge, but I cannot imagine this has any effect beyond making us even more acutely aware of what we can't see.
From Golf Digest • Apr. 6, 2020
The late Alan Rickman, who also stars in Christmas classic "Love Actually," looks more scrooge than cold-blooded killer as Hans Gruber when he speaks of Christmas being a "time of the miracles."
From Fox News • Dec. 19, 2018
Q. Re: Bloody scrooge: Don’t take it personally.
From Slate • Mar. 28, 2017
"Harry, if—if it's the money, maybe I could manage—" "Yes—and scrimp and save and scrooge along without a laundress another four years, and do his washing and—" "I—could fix the money part, Harry—easy."
From Gaslight Sonatas by Hurst, Fannie
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.
