as in to save
to avoid unnecessary waste or expense
had to scrimp and save for years in order to be able to afford a house
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Recent Examples of scrimp
The Premier League, too, does not scrimp on its legal representation.
—
Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
The power went out intermittently, and families scrimped to get enough food.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Far from the envy of the world, Britain has been scrimping by spending 37 billion pounds ($53 billion) on the health services each year, well below Germany, France and Australia, a landmark review found last year.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
But while independent vendors, including big name designers with relatively small businesses, scrimped and saved and struggled to get by without, Saks Global found the money to pay brands at the tippy top of the fashion pyramid.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for scrimp
Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
The power went out intermittently, and families scrimped to get enough food.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Far from the envy of the world, Britain has been scrimping by spending 37 billion pounds ($53 billion) on the health services each year, well below Germany, France and Australia, a landmark review found last year.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
But while independent vendors, including big name designers with relatively small businesses, scrimped and saved and struggled to get by without, Saks Global found the money to pay brands at the tippy top of the fashion pyramid.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for scrimp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrimp
Verb
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But although the two films have imminent solar catastrophes at their core, their approaches to saving the world from extreme global cooling are radically different.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
19 Apr. 2026
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This season has been less of a fairy tale, featuring some tough stretches, a so-so showing in the Olympics and far fewer goals saved above expected.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In short, economizing on non-defense outlays simply has to bring mandatory spending under review.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
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In short, economizing on non-defense outlays simply has to bring mandatory spending under review.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The rambling squash vines cover the soil, serving as a living mulch to manage weeds and conserve soil moisture.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
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Known as loadshedding, these outages conserve electrical power on the national grid.—
Abbey Hudetz,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jean wasn’t wearing her glasses, which helped to spare her from disappointment.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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Braddy’s life was almost not spared.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Don't skimp on the addition of lemon juice and zest, which is a good foil for the sweetness of the cake.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
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To create a welcoming space, be mindful not to skimp on furniture and decor, among other things.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrimp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrimp. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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