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Glite Dictionary
to penny-pinch

to penny-pinch

1 7.7
Spend very little money and avoid buying things you do not need
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈpɛniˌpɪnʧ/
  • Informal
translation icon : ser tacaño

Examples

  • So can Mike penny-pinch his way to a college degree?

    Do Ask, Do Tell: The Linda Campbell Story (2023)

  • I don't do this to penny pinch, but neither do I have the kind of resources to allow me to do anything, including travel, without having a pretty good idea of the costs.

    Blog text (10)

  • To save money, she decided to penny-pinch on her grocery shopping this month.

  • During tough economic times, many families penny-pinch to make ends meet.

  • He learned to penny-pinch by cutting unnecessary expenses from his budget.

Synonyms

to save money
vsto penny-pinch
257 1.3

To put money aside instead of spending it now

emphasizes extreme careful spending rather than general saving
to scrimp
vsto penny-pinch
8 7.4

Spend very little money by using only what you need

is more about careful everyday saving rather than extreme deprivation
to save a buck
vsto penny-pinch
  • Informal
2 6.4

Spend less money than usual when you buy something

describes thorough careful spending, not just small temporary savings
to nickel-and-dime
vsto penny-pinch
  • Informal
1 7.9

To manage using only small amounts of money at a time

refers to broad careful spending rather than focusing on tiny sums
to skin a flint
vsto penny-pinch
  • Archaic
9.9

To try very hard not to spend money even when you should

is similar but focuses on ordinary careful spending not extreme stinginess
to skin a flint for a penny
vsto penny-pinch
  • Archaic
9.9

To be very unwilling to spend money, even small amounts

is similar but means regular careful spending instead of extreme miserliness
to play it cheap
vsto penny-pinch
  • Informal
8.2

Spend as little money as possible by buying low-quality things

means careful saving without implying poor quality choices

Antonyms

to squander
67 6.5

To use money, time, or chances in a foolish way

How Frugal

to scrimp
8 7.4
to penny-pinch
  • Informal
1 7.7
to economize
  • US
7 5.0
to save
842 1.0

Surface Forms

penny-pinch infinitive
penny-pinched past
penny-pinched past participle
penny-pinching present participle
penny-pinches third person singular

Morphology

penny-pinch = penny + pinch (transparent) = penny + pinch

The verb is a direct compound of 'penny' + 'pinch' (as in the idiom 'to pinch pennies'), so its meaning 'be very frugal' is clearly derived from the components.

Etymology

The verb penny-pinch comes from the two simple words penny ('small coin') and pinch ('to squeeze'). So to penny-pinch is to save money by spending as little as possible.