cheap

1 of 3

adjective

ˈchēp 

1

a

: charging or obtainable at a low price

a good cheap hotel

cheap tickets

b

: purchasable below the going price or the real value

c

: depreciated in value (as by currency inflation)

cheap dollars

2

a

: of inferior quality or worth : tawdry, sleazy

cheap workmanship

b

: stingy

My uncle was too cheap to pay for dinner.

c

: contemptible because of lack of any fine, lofty, or redeeming qualities

feeling cheap

I felt cheap, full of shame and guilt

3

: gained or done with little effort

a cheap victory

talk is cheap

4

of money : obtainable at a low rate of interest

cheapish

ˈchē-pish 

adjective

cheapishly adverb

cheaply

ˈchē-plē 

adverb

cheapness noun

cheap

2 of 3

adverb

: for little cost : cheaply

was able to buy it cheap

"It all seems to centre round that bust of Napoleon which I bought for this very room about four months ago. I picked it up cheap from Harding Brothers, two doors from the High Street Station."

—Arthur Conan Doyle

cheap

3 of 3

noun

obsolete

: bargain see also for cheap, on the cheap

Synonyms

Adjective

• affordable
• bargain-basement
• budget
• cheapie
• cheapo
• chintzy
• cut-price [chiefly British]
• cut-rate
• dime-store
• dirt cheap
• el cheapo
• inexpensive
• low
• low-end
• popular
• reasonable

Examples of cheap in a Sentence

Adjective

I always buy the cheapest brand of cereal.

curtains made of cheap material

He wears a cheap watch that's always breaking.

This gas station is cheaper than the one by the highway.

Don't be cheap—buy good quality tires for your car.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

By contrast, solar panels, wind turbines, and appliances like induction stoves only get better — more efficient and cheaper — with time. —Matt Simon / Grist, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024

The standard plan with ads costs $6.99/month, less than half the cost of the regular standard plan ($15.49/month), and much cheaper than the top-tier premium plan ($22.99/month). —Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024

Adverb

Ironically the previous government, only a generation late, bemoaned that state of affairs, all the while depending on the situation to keep their borrowing cheap or perhaps at the margin possible. —Clem Chambers, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

The firm and a whole host of other renters spent millions adding Tesla and Polestar models to their fleets, only to start selling them off cheap when the problems started mounting. —Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 16 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English chep, from Old English cēap trade; akin to Old High German kouf trade; both ultimately from Latin caupo tradesman

First Known Use

Adjective

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adverb

1569, in the meaning defined above

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cheap

• cheap shot
• cheap thrill
• come cheap
• dirt cheap
• for cheap
• on the cheap
• talk is cheap

Kids Definition

cheap

adjective

ˈchēp

1

a

: available at low cost or at less than the true value

potatoes are cheap right now

b

: of low price

always buys the cheapest brand

c

: charging low prices

always wants to go to a cheap place

2

: gained with little effort

a cheap victory

3

a

: of low quality or value

cheap material wears out quickly

a cheap joke

b

: lowered in one's own opinion

feel cheap

c

: stingy sense 1

don't be so cheap

cheap adverb

cheapen

ˈchē-pən

verb

cheaply adverb

cheapness noun

Etymology

Adjective

from earlier obsolete cheap (noun) "bargain," from Old English cēap "trade" — related to chap entry 3