scrimpscrimp /skrɪmp/ verb [intransitive] 
They scrimped and saved for years to buy their own home.
WORD ORIGINscrimp
Origin:
1700-1800 Probably from a Scandinavian languageVERB TABLE
scrimp
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | scrimp |
| he, she, it | scrimps | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | scrimped |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have scrimped |
| he, she, it | has scrimped | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had scrimped |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will scrimp |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have scrimped |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am scrimping |
| he, she, it | is scrimping | |
| you, we, they | are scrimping | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was scrimping |
| you, we, they | were scrimping | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been scrimping |
| he, she, it | has been scrimping | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been scrimping |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be scrimping |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been scrimping |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- All those years of scrimping may have been needless.
- Facing a financially bleak Christmas, he scrimped together every last penny to afford presents for the four boys.
- How I hate your mean, scrimping, grabbing, greedy guts.
Longman Language Activatorto save money
to gradually collect money by not spending all the money you have, especially when you regularly put some of it in a bank: · I find it very difficult to save - I just spend everything I get.· How long did it take you to save all that money?· It's a low-paid job, but she still manages to save a few dollars each week.· She planned to work until she had saved enough money to attend nursing school in Nashville.save for (=save money in order to pay for something): · They've already started saving for their next vacation.
to save money in order to buy something or to do something: · If you want a new bike you'll have to start saving up.· She's saved up enough money to take a course in computer science.save up to do something: · Dave's been saving up for months to buy a new camera.save up for: · It took me ages to save up for those trainers.
to regularly save part of the money you earn, especially over a long period of time: set aside something: · We've all been setting aside a little money each month for a trip to Disneyland.set something aside: · If you want to build up a good pension fund, you should start setting aside a small part of your earnings now.
to try to save money by spending less on the things you need and by saving what you can, especially when you do not earn very much: · After years of scrimping and saving, we've finally got enough money to go on a foreign holiday.scrimp and save to do something: · My parents had to scrimp and save for years to send me to college.
to spend less money to reduce the amount of money that you regularly spend: · We've had to cut down a lot since Craig lost his job - it's been very hard for us.cut down on: · She's already cut down on going out and buying clothes, but she doesn't have enough money to start paying off her debts.cut down somebody's expenses/bills etc: · The department has overspent this year and we will have to cut down our expenses.
also economise British to spend less money by buying only the things that you really need, or by buying cheaper things: · Sorry, I can't come out tonight - I'm trying to economize.· We're economizing this year by having a cheaper vacation.economize on (=spend less money on something): · Families on low incomes are having to economize on food and heating costs.
to spend as little money as possible, only buying things you really need, because you have very little money and want to save it to use in the future: · Chris's parents scrimped and saved so that he could go to college.· I had hardly any money left and was scrimping and saving just to buy the bare necessities.
to spend less money than you usually do because there is less money available: · Most people have to tighten their belts a little when they retire.· Governments and companies are forced to tighten their belts during a recession.
to carefully plan and control how much you spend: · We'll have to budget more carefully in the future. We've spent far more than we can afford.budget for: · By the time I had budgeted for food and rent I only had a few pounds left.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY They scrimped and saved for years to buy their own home.
to try to save as much money as you can, even though you have very little: They scrimped and saved for years to buy their own home. They scrimped and saved for years to buy their own home.