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.
See Examples For:
"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
Acknowledging inequality says a lot about you, so no, I don’t think you’re a total scrooge.
From Slate ● Jul. 5, 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
One night en durin' de war, de patter-rollers cum ter our cabin, en I scrooge down under de kiver in de bed.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Georgia Narratives, Part 3 by Work Projects Administration
Johnny Depp also made a special appearance in costume as Ebenezer Scrooge ahead of the festive dark fantasy Ebenezer being released in November.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
So let’s dive, Scrooge McDuck–style, into the swampy details.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
Francesca Fiorentini, a comedian and podcaster, compared Steyer to Charles Dickens’ fictional miser Ebenezer Scrooge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
The results can be spectacular and memorable, like “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” which, with its beloved Muppet characters filling out iconic roles and Michael Caine playing Scrooge, demands to be watched annually.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025
“Maybe I read too much Dickens over the holidays. Scrooge, Marley, Tiny Tim.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
She was veiled and he was goggled, and both of them scrooged down in the seat apprehensively.
From The Flyers by George Barr McCutcheon
"Well! if I'd ha' known I should ha' got scrooged into a Sandwich in this way, I'd have seen the Hant-heater at 'Anover fust!"
From Punch - Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853) by Various
So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, 'Up we go!
From The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
I jest naturally scrooged away as fur as I could git, an’ hung on tight to the rock so’s not to go over.
From Kings in Exile by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
“I scrooged the main fact out o’ old Pete, her father.
From The Man Thou Gavest by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock
And I can only see you by scrooging into the corner, and the curting's there.
From Little Miss Peggy Only a Nursery Story by Mrs. Molesworth
Such pushing and scrooging, you never seen the like, Kirry.
From The Manxman A Novel - 1895 by Sir Hall Caine
And I were that stiff with scrooging in this cornder—" "Is that all?
From Erema — My Father's Sin by R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore
Gertie and Chicken Little both squirmed uneasily, but Katy caught her breath and went on reading, scrooging up a little closer under the umbrellas.
From Chicken Little Jane by Lily Munsell Ritchie
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.
