informal
: cheap
As for me, I'll be thinking twice next time I'm tempted to grab a cheapo item off the rack at a chain store.Tom Philpott
The beer-beach-sand-and-sex crowd, all sordidly captured by cheapo Hollywood movies like "Where the Boys Are" and the excruciating "Spring Break" series, defined this South Florida resort.John Mariani
After a while, they come out with the cheapo $39.95 model, no leather, no carrying case, nothing.Alexander Besher

Examples of cheapo in a Sentence

I picked up a cheapo souvenir watch as gag gift.
Recent Examples on the Web Streaming on a cheapo netbook. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 26 Dec. 2021 Headphone amplifiers take the signal from your DAC and amplify it with better overall fidelity than the cheapo amps found in most personal electronics. Parker Hall, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2023 Regardless, the cheapo Chevy Silverado is a far cry from the loaded crew-cab High Country models that can cost more than twice as much as this sub-$30,000 sum. Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 30 Oct. 2020 Pen15 defied all the cheapo 2000s nostalgia currently lighting up the internet. Darren Franich, EW.com, 21 June 2022 Aside from cheapo lids at big-box stores, most mountain-bike helmets sold at independent bike shops start at $50 and go up to $300. Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 19 June 2022 The trial’s live stream provided hours of raw material for the fancams, TikTok lip-synchs, and cheapo animations that the pro-Depp legions used to saturate every corner of digital space. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 2 June 2022 Still mildly truckish handling, cheapo interior, fun-killing CVT. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 27 May 2022 These series, unlike the sweeps specials and cheapo docudramas of old, are generally well polished. New York Times, 12 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cheapo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cheapo was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near cheapo

Cite this Entry

“Cheapo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheapo. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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