on the cheap

idiomatic phrase

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

Examples of on the cheap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If it can be plugged in or runs on batteries, there’s one easy option to recycle it on the cheap. Laura Daily, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2025 Yes, you can get started on the cheap with Optery Core, but in the pricing realm, Incogni edges out a win. PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025 Consider this buying on the cheap — Peralta posted a .710 OPS after returning to shortstop to finish 2010 (while the Tigers finished well out of the playoff race), then rebounded to make two All-Star teams in the next three seasons with the Tigers (though that included a sizable PED suspension). Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 29 July 2025 Tottenham had offered to trigger Gibbs-White’s £60million release clause and, in today’s market, that would have meant getting him on the cheap. Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for on the cheap

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of on the cheap was in 1859

Cite this Entry

“On the cheap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20cheap. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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