as in miser
a mean grasping person who is usually stingy with money
don't be such a piker—live it up a little while you're on vacation!
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Recent Examples of piker
Berkeley in those days was an archipelago of dinner parties, and my parents were no pikers.
—
Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024
So far, this pullback has taken 15% off gold’s peak price — a piker by historical standards — and has lasted just 13 months, well within norms for mid-cycle corrections.
—Moneyshow, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2021
Congress’s decision will ultimately determine whether this massive federal check-writing operation will be cemented in Joe Biden’s legacy — an initiative that’s already made FDR look like a government-check-writing piker by comparison.
—Matt Weidinger, National Review, 20 Sep. 2021
Compared to more established coins, SafeMoon is a piker.
—Danielle Abril, Fortune, 17 May 2021
The end result could make the architect of the Great Society look like a piker.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 16 Mar. 2021
If lording such exclusivity over your piker friends who drive 500SLs and 850is is worth the price of a decent house to you, well fine.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 27 May 2020
And Stockfish, in turn, is a piker next to AlphaZero, which crushed it after a mere 24 hours of self-training.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Dec. 2018
Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024
So far, this pullback has taken 15% off gold’s peak price — a piker by historical standards — and has lasted just 13 months, well within norms for mid-cycle corrections.
—Moneyshow, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2021
Congress’s decision will ultimately determine whether this massive federal check-writing operation will be cemented in Joe Biden’s legacy — an initiative that’s already made FDR look like a government-check-writing piker by comparison.
—Matt Weidinger, National Review, 20 Sep. 2021
Compared to more established coins, SafeMoon is a piker.
—Danielle Abril, Fortune, 17 May 2021
The end result could make the architect of the Great Society look like a piker.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 16 Mar. 2021
If lording such exclusivity over your piker friends who drive 500SLs and 850is is worth the price of a decent house to you, well fine.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 27 May 2020
And Stockfish, in turn, is a piker next to AlphaZero, which crushed it after a mere 24 hours of self-training.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piker
miser
Noun
-
The more frugal sides are decried as misers or praised for their market savvy, no matter the surrounding factors.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Rather than just a simple miser, this movie portrays Scrooge as more of a ruthless businessman who believes he’s justified in his actions, making the character more relatable and redemptive.—
Janey Tracey,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piker. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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