nickel-and-dime
verb
nickeled-and-dimed
ˌni-kəld-ən-ˈdīmd 
or nickel-and-dimed
ˌni-kəl-ən-ˈdīmd
; nickeling-and-diming
ˌni-k(ə-)liŋ-ən-ˈdī-miŋ
or nickel-and-diming
ˌni-kəl-ən-ˈdī-miŋ
or nickel-and-dimed
ˌni-kəl-ən-ˈdīmd
; nickeling-and-diming
ˌni-k(ə-)liŋ-ən-ˈdī-miŋ
or nickel-and-diming
ˌni-kəl-ən-ˈdī-miŋ
1
: to impair, weaken, or defeat piecemeal (as through a series of small incursions or excessive attention to minor details)
2
: to treat (a person or situation) by paying excessive attention to small amounts of money often with a detrimental effect
Examples of nickel-and-dime in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Full-service hotels like Marriott and InterContinental still offer a more inclusive experience, and international airlines like Qatar Airways don't nickel-and-dime you for luggage.
—
Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Bankruptcies, drunk driving charges, delinquent child support, foreclosures, nickel-and-dime car wrecks, suspicious slip-and-falls, dubious claims of disabilities — the stock-in- trade of a run-of-the-mill street lawyer whose law school dreams of riches had faded so dim they were almost gone.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
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Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Bankruptcies, drunk driving charges, delinquent child support, foreclosures, nickel-and-dime car wrecks, suspicious slip-and-falls, dubious claims of disabilities — the stock-in- trade of a run-of-the-mill street lawyer whose law school dreams of riches had faded so dim they were almost gone.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nickel-and-dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nickel-and-dime. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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