verb
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to be extremely sparing or supply (someone) sparingly; stint
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to perform (work, etc) carelessly, hastily, or with inadequate materials
Usage
What does skimp mean? Skimp most commonly means to provide too little or be stingy when supplying someone with something, as in This place always skimps on the salad dressing, so I usually order some extra on the side. The word is often used in the command don’t skimp, which is a request not to provide an amount that the speaker considers inadequate, as in Hey, don’t skimp on the ice cream—I want a big scoop!To skimp on materials when making or constructing something is to use ones that are low-quality or to use fewer than are needed to do the job properly.Skimp is a synonym of scrimp, but scrimp most commonly means to be frugal by finding ways to avoid spending money. It’s especially used in the phrase scrimp and save, as in We had to scrimp and save just to afford this trip. The adjective skimpy can mean stingy or lacking in some way. It’s especially used to describe an outfit that’s considered a bit revealing due to not covering as much as might be usual.Example: Don’t skimp on the butter when you make the cookies or they’ll turn out dry and brittle.
Other Word Forms
- skimpingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of skimp
First recorded in 1875–80; origin uncertain
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.
WSJ | Buy Side: The best cheap car insurance providers offer low rates but don’t skimp on coverage options.
Like many advisers, Mallon urges his older clients to prioritize their own needs — and live large — rather than skimp and save so that their heirs inherit more.
From MarketWatch
Nietzsche said God is dead, but skimped on details of how we’d deal with the corpse.
Others skimp on breakfast and lunch and try to save their allowance of dollars and calories for dinner.
It may be “close to a breaking point. its board of directors need to wake up and realize that they can’t skimp on investments,” Harteveldt said.
From MarketWatch
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.
