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
Etymology
Origin of skimp
First recorded in 1875–80; origin uncertain
Explanation
The verb skimp refers to using a limited amount of something. When tomato prices are high, a cost-conscious restaurant might skimp on the amount of chopped tomatoes it puts on salads. Skimp can also describe getting by spending very little money, like someone who skimps in order to save for the future. You can also skimp on time and effort, like when you skimp on the amount of care you put into your math homework. Skimp is likely a variation of scrimp, which means "to make too small" and comes from the Swedish word skrumpna, meaning "to shrink, shrivel up."
Vocabulary lists containing skimp
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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Commonly Confused Words, List 8
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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.
“We tend not to see farmers skimp on seeds,” Andrews says.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
Others skimp on breakfast and lunch and try to save their allowance of dollars and calories for dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
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 • Jan. 28, 2026
Which are expensive and the reason some polls skimp on the number of people they interview.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025
The sixth graders are determined to make more links than everybody else, so they skimp on the glue and their chain comes apart.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
