Goods or services that are cheap cost less money than usual or than you expected.
I'm going to live off campus if I can find somewhere cheap enough.
Smoke detectors are cheap and easy to put up.
Running costs are coming down because of cheaper fuel.
They served breakfast all day and sold it cheap.
Synonyms: inexpensive, sale, economy, reduced More Synonyms of cheap
cheaplyadverb [ADVERB after verb]
It will produce electricity more cheaply than a nuclear plant.
cheapnessuncountable noun
The cheapness and simplicity of the design makes it ideal for our task. [+ of]
Synonyms: inexpensiveness, affordability, reasonableness More Synonyms of cheap
Synonyms: inferiority, worthlessness, shoddiness, tawdriness More Synonyms of cheap
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe goods as cheap, you mean they cost less money than similar products but their quality is poor.
Don't resort to cheap copies; save up for the real thing.
...a tight suit made of some cheap material.
Synonyms: inferior, poor, worthless, second-rate More Synonyms of cheap
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe the cost of someone's work as cheap, you disapprove of the way people are taking advantage of a situation to pay someone less than they should for the work that they do.
[disapproval]
...unscrupulous employers who treat children as a cheap source of labour.
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe someone's remarks or actions as cheap, you mean that they are unkindly or insincerely using a situation to benefit themselves or to harm someone else.
[disapproval]
These tests will inevitably be used by politicians to make cheap political points.
5. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If you describe someone as cheap, you are criticizing them for being unwilling to spend money.
[US, disapproval]
Oh, please, Dad, just this once don't be cheap.
6.
See life is cheap
7.
See on the cheap
More Synonyms of cheap
cheap in British English
(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. informal
mean; despicable
a cheap liar
9. cheap as chips
10. dirt cheap
noun
11. on the cheap
adverb
12.
at very little cost
Derived forms
cheapish (ˈcheapish)
adjective
cheaply (ˈcheaply)
adverb
cheapness (ˈcheapness)
noun
Word origin
Old English ceap barter, bargain, price, property; related to Old Norse kaup bargain, Old High German kouf trade, Latin caupō innkeeper
cheap in American English
(tʃip)
adjective
1.
low in price or cost; not expensive
2.
charging low prices
a chain of cheap stores
3.
spending or able to spend little
a cheaper clientele
4.
worth more than the price
5.
costing little labor or trouble; easily gotten
a cheap victory
6.
of little value or poor quality; virtually worthless
7.
deserving of scorn; contemptible
made cheap by their own behavior
8. Informal
stingy; niggardly
9. Economics
lowered in exchange value or buying power; also, available at low interest rates
said of money
adverb
10.
at a low cost; cheaply
noun
11.
a market
now only in place names
Cheapside
12. Obsolete
a bargain
Idioms:
on the cheap
SYNONYMY NOTE: cheap, inexpensive both mean low in cost or price, but , inexpensive simply suggests value comparable to the price, and , cheap, in this sense, stresses a bargain; , cheap may also imply inferior quality or value, tawdriness, contemptibility, etc. [cheap jewelry, to feel cheap]
OPPOSITES: costly, expensive, dear
Derived forms
cheaply (ˈcheaply)
adverb
cheapness (ˈcheapness)
noun
Word origin
< good cheap, favorable bargain < ME god chep (used as transl. of OFr à bon marché) < OE ceap, a purchase, bargain, akin to Ger kaufen, to buy; ult. < L caupo, petty tradesman
Examples of 'cheap' in a sentence
cheap
Most countries restrict the production and sale of mist nets but they are cheap to buy online.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She must ensure these firms put profits second to providing this essential service at the cheapest cost.
The Sun (2016)
Much cheaper than insulation and a new roof.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The cheapest way to sell your house of course is to do it yourself.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Economists hoped that higher wages would encourage companies to rely less on cheap labour and lift investment to fix the productivity problem.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is a bargain and doesn't look or feel cheap at all.
The Sun (2017)
The report also found Tuesdays were generally the cheapest day to fly.
The Sun (2016)
A smaller engine will have significantly cheaper fuel costs and tax.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His investment approach is to seek out stocks that are relatively cheap, but are yielding a decent amount and this has produced steady returns.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Salad leaves are nutritious and many are easy (and cheap) to grow.
The Sun (2016)
Sport is not just about buying cheap and selling dear.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Where would it be cheaper to buy the hat?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The strength of the euro has also made it less cheap.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Will we feel cheap in the morning?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Life is far cheaper if you can cook.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The days of cheap spuds could soon be over.
The Sun (2012)
There will be help for all with finding cheaper electricity and bank charges.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are much cheaper than managed funds.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It would have been relatively easy and cheap to take care of these two side effects.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
Why are we not getting a big boost from cheap fuel?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We tend to stay quite local because the prices in our area are relatively cheap.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You can also find cheaper deals if you are mostly in the red.
The Sun (2014)
Sometimes this means that a cheaper fare is issued shortly after a sale has closed.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Not cheap but a little goes a long way.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Cheap to buy and cheap to run.
The Sun (2016)
The proceeds will help the company to secure cheaper and less restrictive bank facilities.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But these subsequent scenes have left us feeling cheap and misled.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Life is cheaper and more relaxed than in the cities.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
BRITAIN'S top mortgage lender has warned the days of cheap loans are over.
The Sun (2008)
This should mean that design costs will be cheaper and there will be more certainty from the beginning.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The official site is easy to use and is also the cheapest way to get a new passport.
The Sun (2013)
Now we could sell cheap food.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The council has pointed out that its cheapest frozen meal costs only 3.30.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
cheap
British English: cheap /tʃiːp/ ADJECTIVE
Cheap goods or services cost less money than usual or than you expected.
Tickets are still very cheap.
American English: cheap
Arabic: رَخِيص
Brazilian Portuguese: barato
Chinese: 便宜的
Croatian: jeftin
Czech: levný
Danish: billig
Dutch: goedkoop
European Spanish: barato
Finnish: halpa
French: bon marché
German: billig
Greek: φτηνός
Italian: conveniente
Japanese: 安い
Korean: 싼 비싸지 않음
Norwegian: billig
Polish: tani
European Portuguese: barato
Romanian: ieftin
Russian: дешевый
Latin American Spanish: barato
Swedish: billig
Thai: อย่างถูก
Turkish: ucuz
Ukrainian: дешевий
Vietnamese: rẻ
British English: cheap ADJECTIVE
If you describe goods as cheap, you mean they cost less money than similar products but their quality is poor.
Don't resort to cheap imitations; save up for the real thing.
American English: cheap
Brazilian Portuguese: barato
Chinese: 便宜的
European Spanish: barato
French: bon marché
German: billig
Italian: economico
Japanese: 安い
Korean: 저렴한
European Portuguese: barato
Latin American Spanish: barato
All related terms of 'cheap'
cheap out
to take the cheapest option ; try to do something as cheaply as possible
cheap brand
A brand of a product is the version of it that is made by one particular manufacturer .
cheap food
Food is what people and animals eat.
cheap hotel
A hotel is a building where people stay, for example on holiday , paying for their rooms and meals .
cheap-jack
a person who sells cheap and shoddy goods
cheap money
money lent at a low rate of interest
cheap price
The price of something is the amount of money that you have to pay in order to buy it.
cheap-rate
charged at a lower rate
cheap seat
A seat is an object that you can sit on, for example a chair .
cheap shot
A cheap shot is a comment someone makes which you think is unfair or unkind .
cheap trick
A trick is a clever way of doing something.
dirt cheap
If you say that something is dirt-cheap , you are emphasizing that it is very cheap indeed.
cheap energy
Energy is the power from sources such as electricity and coal that makes machines work or provides heat.
cheap labour
Labour is used to refer to the workers of a country or industry, considered as a group.
cheap option
An option is something that you can choose to do in preference to one or more alternatives .
on the cheap
If someone does or buys something on the cheap , they spend less money than they should because they are more concerned with what it costs than with its quality.
cheap as chips
inexpensive ; good value
life is cheap
You use life is cheap or life has become cheap to refer to a situation in which nobody cares that large numbers of people are dying .
Chinese translation of 'cheap'
cheap
(tʃiːp)
adj
(= inexpensive) 便宜的 (piányi de)
(= reduced)
[ticket]降价(價)的 (jiàngjià de)
[fare, rate]廉价(價)的 (liánjià de)
(= poor quality) 劣质(質)的 (lièzhì de)
[remark, joke]粗鄙的 (cūbǐ de)
adv
to buy/sell sth cheap廉价(價)买(買)/卖(賣)某物 (liánjià mǎi/mài mǒuwù)
that was a cheap shot那可真够(夠)低级(級)的 (nà kě zhēn gòu dījí de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
costing relatively little
Smoke detectors are cheap and easy to put up.People want good service at a cheap price.
Synonyms
inexpensive
a huge variety of good inexpensive restaurants
sale
economy
reduced
keen
reasonable
His fees were quite reasonable.
bargain
low-priced
low-cost
cut-price
a shop selling cut-price clothes
economical
It is more economical to wash a full load.
cheapo (informal)
Opposites
dear
,
expensive
,
steep
,
costly
,
pricey (informal)
2 (adjective)
Definition
of poor quality
Don't resort to cheap copies; save up for the real thing.
Synonyms
inferior
These recordings are of inferior quality.
poor
The meal was very poor.
He was a poor actor.
worthless
This piece of old junk is totally worthless.
second-rate
another second-rate politician
shoddy
I'm normally quick to complain about shoddy service.
tawdry
tawdry jewellery
tatty (British)
A lot of the houses in the street were very tatty.
trashy
I was watching some trashy TV show.
substandard
low-rent (informal)
two-bit (slang)
crappy (slang)
two a penny
rubbishy
some old rubbishy cop movie
dime-a-dozen (informal)
piss-poor (slang)
tinhorn (US, slang)
bodger or bodgie (Australian, slang)
common
paltry
poxy (slang)
chickenshit (US, slang)
bush-league (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
Opposites
good
,
valuable
,
decent
,
superior
,
elegant
,
admirable
,
high-class
,
tasteful
3 (adjective)
Definition
mean or despicable
(informal)
That was a cheap trick to play on anyone.
Synonyms
despicable
He said it was a despicable crime.
mean
Upstaging the bride was a particularly mean trick.
low
That was a really low trick.
base
Love has the power to overcome the baser emotions.
vulgar
sordid
He put his head in his hands as his sordid life was exposed.
contemptible
Her husband is a contemptible little man.
It was an utterly contemptible thing to do.
scurvy (old-fashioned)
It was a scurvy trick to play.
scungy (Australian, New Zealand)
He was living in some scungy flat on the outskirts of town.
Opposites
good
,
decent
,
generous
,
charitable
,
admirable
,
honourable
Additional synonyms
in the sense of base
Definition
dishonourable or immoral
Love has the power to overcome the baser emotions.
Synonyms
dishonourable,
evil,
corrupt,
infamous,
disgraceful,
vulgar,
shameful,
vile,
immoral,
scandalous,
wicked,
sordid,
abject,
despicable,
depraved,
ignominious,
disreputable,
contemptible,
villainous,
ignoble,
discreditable,
scungy (Australian, New Zealand)
in the sense of contemptible
Definition
deserving to be despised or hated
Her husband is a contemptible little man.It was an utterly contemptible thing to do.