cheapskate
noun
verb (used without object), cheap·skat·ed, cheap·skat·ing.
Words nearby cheapskate
VOCAB BUILDER
What does cheapskate mean?
A cheapskate is a person who doesn’t like to give or spend money—someone who’s stingy.
Cheapskate is a very informal word that’s always used in a negative way, as an insult.
Example: Some cheapskate left me a quarter and two pennies as a tip today.
Where does cheapskate come from?
The first records of cheapskate come from the 1890s. It’s a combination of the word cheap, meaning “stingy,” and the word skate, which can be used as a negative slang term for a person who’s generally disliked.
Cheapskates are not good tippers. And don’t expect them to spend much on a gift—if they buy you one at all! Cheapskates typically avoid spending money however they can. While some similar terms like penny pincher can be used in a positive way (implying that someone is wisely frugal) or a negative way (implying that someone is stingy), cheapskate is always used negatively. It’s an insult very similar to words like tightwad and skinflint.
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How is cheapskate used in real life?
Cheapskate is always used negatively, but some people apply it to themselves as a source of pride.
I'm such a cheapskate that I literally cannot justify spending more than 10 dollars for a shirt so shopping for me is always agonizing
— steve (@__EvenStephen) June 4, 2017
Chief Wiggum: I wonder if Lou suspects that I was his secret santa
Lou: What kind of cheapskate gives one corn holder?#EverySimpsonsEver— Every.Simpsons.Ever (@EverySimpsons) December 26, 2016
When my parents backpacked through Europe years ago, they travelled with an electric fry pan, so they could cook up stir-fries in their hotel room.
Budget travel is in my blood! I was raised to stretch every penny. Destined to be the biggest cheapskate this world has ever seen!
— Travelling Light (@travellightblog) October 1, 2018
Try using cheapskate!
Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used to describe someone considered a cheapskate?
A. generous
B. stingy
C. tight-fisted
D. miserly
Example sentences from the Web for cheapskate
Old Jerry is running a cheapskate campaign, and he has not stated clearly why he wants to be governor again.
We chose to get married at City Hall mostly because I'm a cheapskate.
The D.C. Sex Blogger on How She Went From Slut to Housewife |Jessica Cutler |December 10, 2008 |DAILY BEASTOf the two-fifty, you extract a dollar, feeling that the Senior Holden is a cheapskate.
The Fourth R |George Oliver Smith