cheap out

English

Alternative forms

• cheapen out

Verb

cheap out (third-person singular simple present cheaps out, present participle cheaping out, simple past and past participle cheaped out)

1. (informal, intransitve) To reduce costs on a project or product to an unreasonable degree; to cut corners.

   That's not the kind of product you want to cheap out on.

2. (informal, intransitve) To act cheap; to unreasonably refuse to spend money.

   I could never marry someone who cheaps out like that.

3. (informal, intransitive) To be too stingy to achieve a purpose or provide a promised product/service/project.

   I was cheaped out of having a good vacation because the hotel's marketing misled me.

Usage notes

While the verb cheapen is generally more common than cheap, this phrasal verb is an exception.

Anagrams

• Cophetua