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View synonyms for

scrimp

[skrimp]

verb (used without object)

  1. to be sparing or frugal; economize (often followed byon ).

    They scrimped and saved for everything they have. He spends most of his money on clothes, and scrimps on food.

    Synonyms: , , ,


verb (used with object)

  1. to be sparing or restrictive of or in; limit severely.

    to scrimp food.

  2. to keep on short allowance; provide sparingly for.

    to scrimp their elderly parents.

scrimp

/ ɪ /

verb

  1. to be very economical or sparing in the use (of) (esp in the phrase scrimp and save )

  2. (tr) to treat meanly

    he is scrimping his children

  3. (tr) to cut too small

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. a less common word for scant

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • unscrimped adjective
  • ˈ辱 adverb
  • ˈ辱Ա noun
  • ˈ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of scrimp1

First recorded in 1710–20; from Scandinavian; compare Swedish skrympa, Norwegian, Danish skrumpe (originally from an unattested skrimpa, ) “to shrivel,” cognate with Middle High German schrimpfen “to contract”; shrimp
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Word History and Origins

Origin of scrimp1

C18: Scottish, origin unknown
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

His parents scrimped and saved to pay for his tuition at Alliance, a boarding school run by British missionaries.

From

"It's literally scrimping and scraping to be able to manage to get one lesson a week," she says.

From

Bureaucrats who were not furloughed alleged they were forced to scrimp by limiting the use of air conditioning, lifts and even printers.

From

You might want to scrimp and save, but this isn’t the time for that.

From

The result is that many families shoulder the work themselves, losing out on paid employment, or elderly people scrimp on needed assistance.

From

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scrimmage linescrimp and save