cheap

1 of 4

adjective (1)

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 4

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 4

noun

obsolete

: bargain see also for cheap, on the cheap

cheapish

4 of 4

adjective (2)

cheap·​ish ˈchē-pish 

: relatively cheap : not very expensive

You can't shell out for everyone, but you don't want to offend, either. Here, a list of cheapish ways to bring them over to your side.

—Eli Epstein, Houston Chronicle, 6 Dec. 2012

cheapishly adverb

I am rather surprised you don't get a small yacht of your own. They can be had cheapishly, and if you ran it yourself it couldn't cost as much as Douglas.

—Arnold Bennett, letter, 17 Nov. 1925

Synonyms of cheap

Adjective (1)

• inexpensive
• affordable
• reasonable
• popular

Examples of cheap in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

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

In 2025, Mycoworks shuttered its South Carolina biomanufacturing plant, announcing a pivot to processing cheaper third-party mycelium instead of cultivating it themselves, and Natural Fiber Welding narrowly escaped bankruptcy, adding to the sense of an ending. —Bella Webb, Vogue, 11 June 2026

Reports came in from Morocco, Scotland and other countries that travelers expecting to travel to the USA for the tournament had their access to the country revoked at the last minute, costing them thousands – because nothing at this World Cup will come cheap. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 June 2026

Adverb

Critics called the finish cheap, staged and anticlimactic. —Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026

Made worse by frantic editing and counterintuitive shot framing, the visual effects fluctuate wildly between convincing digital flourishes and surprisingly cheap-looking practical attempts. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

short for good cheap "at a bargain" with cheap "price, bargain" — more at cheap entry 3

Noun

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 (1)

1517, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adverb

1569, in the meaning defined above

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1836, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cheap

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

Rhymes for cheap

• beep
• creep
• deep
• heap
• jeep
• keep
• leap
• peep
• reap
• seep
• sheep
• sleep

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