Standard Lemma guide

cheapskate

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈt͡ʃipˌskeɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: CH IY1 P S K EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who stingily avoids spending money.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He is such a cheapskate, he found that jumper in a dustbin.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: miser, carl, cheapass, cheapie, cheapskate, cheapo, churl, clutchfist, el cheapo, last of the big spenders, magpie, moneygrubber, muckworm, nickel nurser, nig, niggard, nigon, nipcheese, nipfarthing, penny-father, penny pincher, pickpenny, piker, pinch-commons, pinch-gut, pincher, pinchfist, pinchpenny, scrimp, scrooge, snudge, squirrel, skinflint, tight-arse, tightwad

Antonyms: spendthrift

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone who does not give freely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Examples

  • My mum is such a cheapskate that she didn't lend me money to go shopping.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a miserly person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tightwad

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: miser

History

Etymology

From cheap + skite (“contemptible person”). Compare blatherskite.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: agarrat — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Catalan: gasiu — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Dutch: gierigaard — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Dutch: vrek — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Finnish: kitupiikki — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Finnish: saituri — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Indonesian: kedekut — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Indonesian: kikir — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Japanese: 欲張り (yokubari) — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Korean: 욕심쟁이 (yoksimjaeng'i) — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Māori: atuapo — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Russian: жа́дина (žádina) — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Russian: жмот (žmot) — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Swedish: snåljåp — someone who doesn't give freely
  • Tagalog: kuripot — someone who doesn't give freely