thrift

American  

[thrift] / θrɪft /

noun

1. economical management; economy; frugality.

   My father valued thrift, hard work, and self-sufficiency.

   Memories of her thrift and capability inspire me.

2. Also called thrift institution.  Banking. a savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit union.

   To help the thrifts survive, Congress deregulated the industry, lifting restrictions on the kinds of loans they could make.

3. 1. Also called sea pink.  any alpine and maritime plant belonging to the genus Armeria, of the leadwort family, having pink or white flowers, especially A. maritima, noted for its vigorous growth.

   2. any of various similar or related plants.

4. vigorous growth, as of a plant.

5. Obsolete. prosperity.

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verb (used with object)

1. to buy secondhand, as at a thrift store.

   I thrifted these purple suede pumps for ten bucks.

thrift British  

/ θrɪft /

noun

1. wisdom and caution in the management of money

2. Also called: sea pink.  any of numerous perennial plumbaginaceous low-growing plants of the genus Armeria, esp A. maritima, of Europe, W Asia, and North America, having narrow leaves and round heads of pink or white flowers

3. rare vigorous thriving or growth, as of a plant

4. a building society, savings bank, or credit union

5. an obsolete word for prosperity

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Other Word Forms

• nonthrift adjective
• thriftless adjective
• thriftlessly adverb
• thriftlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of thrift

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old Norse: “well-being, prosperity”; cf. thrive

Explanation

Thrift means being very careful about how much money you spend. Reusing the same tea bag ten times so as not to waste money is a kind of thrift. The word thrift originally referred to fortune and has come to mean the act of being economical; a thrifty person, or someone who practices thrift, is likely to be fortunate in the sense that he has savings. At a thrift store, you will find inexpensive clothing. You probably don’t want to exercise thrift when deciding on something important, like which brain surgeon to use. You may also find thrift on sunlit mountaintops, in the form of a slender-leaved plant with pink flowers.

Example Sentences

Surrounded by open fields in a small town, VHS vendors gather in the sunlight to offer their tapes, sourced from thrift stores, estate sales or people getting rid of their collections.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

He loved the New Orleans Saints, playing the clarinet and thrift shopping, but could also untangle thorny math equations in minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Overall, there was only a single topline category, miscellaneous store retailers—which includes florists, thrift stores, and pet stores—that posted an outright decline in monthly spending.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Somewhere between page 39 and the fluorescent lights of that thrift store, I realized what I actually wanted to make wasn’t a better “unfried chicken.”

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2026

We never went on fancy vacations, and most of our furniture was stuff my uncle had bought from thrift shops.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

Related Words

• austerity
• frugality
• prudence