cheap

UK: /ˈtʃiːp/ US: /tʃip/ ,(chēp)

Inflections of 'cheap' (adj):

cheaper

adj comparative

cheapest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cheap /tʃip/   adj., -er, -est, adv., n. 
adj. 

1. costing very little;
   inexpensive:
   We sat in the cheap seats at the circus.
2. [usually* before a noun] charging low prices:
   a cheap store.
3. poorly made;
   inferior;
   shoddy:
   Those cheap sneakers fell apart after only a few weeks.
4. costing little work or trouble:
   Talk is cheap.
5. mean;
   cruel and deserving contempt:
   a cheap joke.
6. [be + ~] of little account or value:
   Life was cheap in that frontier town.
7. embarrassed:
   I felt cheap after I had left her all alone.
8. stingy;
   miserly:
   That was cheap of her, not to share any of her candy.
9. (of money) able to be borrowed at low interest:
   Money is cheap and that should make housing starts rise.

adv. 

10. at a low price or small cost:
    I got that tape cheap.

Idioms

11. Idioms on the cheap, inexpensively;
    economically:
    He did everything on the cheap.

cheap•ly, adv. 
cheap•ness, n. [uncountable]
Synonyms

cheap, inexpensive both suggest low cost. cheap now often suggests that the item is poorly made or a showy imitation of something better: a cheap fabric. inexpensive emphasizes a low price (although more expensive than cheap) and suggests that the value is equal to the cost: I didn't pay much for this inexpensive dress. inexpensive is sometimes used to avoid the more insulting cheap.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cheap  (chēp), adj., -er, -est, adv., n. 
adj. 

1. costing very little;
   relatively low in price;
   inexpensive:
   a cheap dress.
2. costing little labor or trouble:
   Words are cheap.
3. charging low prices:
   a very cheap store.
4. of little account;
   of small value;
   mean;
   shoddy:
   cheap conduct; cheap workmanship.
5. embarrassed;
   sheepish:
   He felt cheap about his mistake.
6. obtainable at a low rate of interest:
   when money is cheap.
7. of decreased value or purchasing power, as currency depreciated due to inflation.
8. stingy;
   miserly:
   He's too cheap to buy his own brother a cup of coffee.
9. Idioms cheap at twice the price, exceedingly inexpensive:
   I found this old chair for eight dollars—it would be cheap at twice the price.

adv. 

10. at a low price;
    at small cost:
    He is willing to sell cheap.

n. 

11. on the cheap, [Informal.] inexpensively;
    economically:
    She enjoys traveling on the cheap.

• Latin caupō innkeeper, tradesman; see chapman
• bef. 900; Middle English cheep (short for phrases, as good cheep cheap, literally, good bargain), Old English cēap bargain, market, trade; cognate with German Kauf, Old Norse kaup; all

cheap′ish, adj. 
cheap′ish•ly, adv. 
cheap′ly, adv. 
cheap′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1, 4. Cheap, inexpensive agree in their suggestion of low cost.
  Cheap now usually suggests shoddiness, inferiority, showy imitation, complete unworthiness, and the like:
  a cheap kind of fur.
  Inexpensive emphasizes lowness of price (although more expensive than cheap) and suggests that the value is fully equal to the cost:
  an inexpensive dress.
  It is often used as an evasion for the more specific cheap.
• 4. paltry, low, poor, inferior, base.

Antonyms

• 1. costly, dear, expensive.
• 8. generous, charitable.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cheap / tʃiːp/ adjective

1. costing relatively little; inexpensive; good value
2. charging low prices: a cheap hairdresser
3. of poor quality; shoddy: cheap furniture, cheap and nasty
4. worth relatively little: promises are cheap
5. not worthy of respect; vulgar
6. ashamed; embarrassed: to feel cheap
7. stingy; miserly
8. mean; despicable: a cheap liar
9. cheap as chips ⇒
   See chip11

noun

1. on the cheap ⇒ at a low cost

adverb

1. at very little cost

Etymology: Old English ceap barter, bargain, price, property; related to Old Norse kaup bargain, Old High German kouf trade, Latin caupō innkeeper

ˈcheaply adverb

ˈcheapness noun