cheapskate

noun

cheap·​skate ˈchēp-ˌskāt 

: a miserly or stingy person

especially : one who tries to avoid paying a fair share of costs or expenses

Synonyms

• churl
• hunks
• miser
• niggard
• penny-pincher
• piker
• scrooge
• skinflint
• tightwad

Examples of cheapskate in a Sentence

a cheapskate who lived like a pauper, she was reputedly the wealthiest woman in the U.S. at the time of her death

Recent Examples on the Web

Some people associate a frugal spender with a narrow-minded person who is a tightwad, a cheapskate, a penny-pincher, and worse of all an outright scrooge. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025

The hottest gift this holiday season may be the Disney Duo Bundle — especially among the cheapskates in your life. —Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2024

The hottest gift this holiday season may be the Disney Duo Bundle — especially among the cheapskates in your life. —Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2024

The best choice for total cheapskates Maybe listening to a football game isn’t ideal. —Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cheapskate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

cheapskate

noun

cheap·​skate ˈchēp-ˌskāt 

: a miserly or stingy person

especially : one who tries to avoid paying his or her fair share

Etymology

-skate from earlier skate "a person," probably from a dialect word skite, meaning "an offensive person"