cheap

adjective

\ ˈchēp

Definition of cheap

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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

2a : 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

cheap

adverb

Definition of cheap (Entry 2 of 3)

: 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

noun

Definition of cheap (Entry 3 of 3)

obsolete

: bargain

on the cheap

: at minimum expense : cheaply did the job on the cheap

Other Words from cheap Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about cheap

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Other Words from cheap

Adjective

cheapish \ ˈchē-pish

\ adjective

cheapishly adverb

cheaply \ ˈchē-plē

\ adverb

cheapness noun

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

Hardware production has long been centered on China where production costs are cheaper, components of the tech supply chain are concentrated, and manufacturers have increasingly specialized in making cutting-edge tech. — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, "HP, Dell, Microsoft, and Amazon look to move some hardware production out of China," 3 July 2019 Such yields, combined with the need to find cheap, reliable protein for a global population projected to jump 30 percent, to 9.8 billion by 2050, present big opportunity for the black soldier fly. — Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, "Maggots: A taste of food’s future," 3 July 2019 Chapter 13 bankruptcy is also cheaper, at the onset, than enrolling in a city ticket payment plan. — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, "Chicago Can’t Hold Impounded Vehicles After Drivers File for Bankruptcy, Court Says," 3 July 2019 Many experts argue, rightly, that robotic missions are cheaper, safer and can last longer than human missions. — Erica Jawin, Scientific American, "Apollo’s Bounty: The Science of the Moon Rocks," 2 July 2019 Anything that makes cannabis better, safer, cheaper, or easier to buy will be in high demand going forward, regardless of where cannabis is being grown or where consumers live. — Shafin Diamond Tejani, Quartz, "What Mark Twain can teach us about the weed industry," 29 June 2019 Then her name was known by jewelry insiders, and prices, though certainly not cheap, were within reach. — Stellene Volandes, Town & Country, "Masterpiece London Has the Best Jewels in the World," 28 June 2019 None of these devices is cheap, which can be an issue in a sport with limited revenues. — Pat Borzi, New York Times, "‘If You Don’t Have It, You’re Behind’: College Baseball’s Tech Arms Race," 25 June 2019 As low-income families resort to cheaper, less-nutritious but more accessible meals, children can gain weight two to three times faster than during the school year. — Bianca Sanchez, chicagotribune.com, "CPS to offer children free lunch at nearly 100 locations, almost all summer vacation," 25 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cheap.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.