piker

noun pik·er \ ˈpī-kər \

Definition of piker

1 :one who gambles or speculates with small amounts of money

2 :one who does things in a small way; also :tightwad, cheapskate

See piker defined for kids

Examples of piker in a Sentence

don't be such a piker—live it up a little while you're on vacation!

Recent Examples of piker from the Web

After complaining for seven years (in many ways incorrectly), that Democrats had abused the legislative process in the passage of the Obama health law, Senate Republicans made the Democrats look like pikers.

— ajc homepage, ajc, "Senate deals major setback to Republican health care push," 28 July 2017
But, compared to the Sekulows, the president* is something of a piker.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Grifting for Jesus," 27 June 2017
Embarrass that piker Mark Zuckerberg by going 60 percent better than the Facebook founder’s charitable contribution to the Newark, New Jersey, school system.

— john c abell, WIRED, "‘Buy It Now’ FAIL: Former eBay CEO Whitman Is the Biggest Loser," 3 Nov. 2010

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'piker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.