bargain-basement

1 of 2

adjective

bar·​gain-base·​ment ˈbär-gən-ˈbās-mənt 

1

: of inferior quality or worth

2

: markedly inexpensive

bargain-basement rates

bargain basement

2 of 2

noun

: a section of a store (such as the basement) where merchandise is sold at reduced prices

Synonyms of bargain-basement

Adjective

• cheap
• reasonable
• inexpensive
• affordable

Examples of bargain-basement in a Sentence

Adjective

throughout the trip we ate at bargain-basement restaurants in order to save money

bargain-basement shoes that fell apart after a week

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But in an era when only six of the 20 teams spent under £100million this summer, those bargain-basement deals have given way to big-money moves. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

And that even lower-cost robots (OK, bargain-basement robots) can be interesting. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Noun

But how long will such plans survive in a world where giant rockets launch every morning and afternoon carrying hundreds of tonnes at bargain basement rates? — David Szondy may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2026

Today, Disney is trading at a bargain basement P-E under 15. — Sarat Sethi, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bargain-basement

• abasement
• debasement
• defacement
• displacement
• effacement
• emplacement
• encasement
• misplacement
• outplacement
• replacement
• basement
• placement