Cheap
/tʃiːp/
Definitions
2 meaningsHaving a low price.
/tʃiːp/
Low in price; inexpensive.
That's a cheap hotel, but the rooms are small.
💡 Simply: Cheap means something costs very little money. Like getting a candy bar for only a quarter! That's cheap!
👶 For kids: It means something doesn't cost a lot of money.
More Examples
I bought a cheap dress online, but it was better than expected.
How It's Used
"I found a cheap sweater at the thrift store."
"That car is surprisingly cheap."
Of low quality; not good.
/tʃiːp/
Of poor quality; inferior.
He bought a cheap watch and it broke after a week.
💡 Simply: Cheap can also mean something is not very good, like a toy that breaks right away. It's low quality.
👶 For kids: It means something is not very good quality, kind of like a toy that breaks easily.
More Examples
The cheap materials made the building structurally unsound.
How It's Used
"The cheap plastic cracked easily."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
on the cheap
At low cost; inexpensively.
"They tried to get the renovation done on the cheap."
From Middle English *chepe, from Old English *cēap 'trade, bargain, market price,' from Proto-Germanic *kaupō 'trade, purchase,' ultimately related to words in other Indo-European languages meaning "to buy" or "to barter."
Historically, 'cheap' primarily referred to a low price, but its association with poor quality developed later.
Memory tip
Think of a "cheap" thrill - something exciting but not high quality.
Word Origin
"trade, bargain"