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to skimp

to skimp

16 5.8
Use less of something than is needed to save money or time
  • verb
  • /skɪmp/
translation icon : escatimar en
  • You shouldn't skimp on your education if you want to secure a prosperous future.

And if you think about the culture and everything else, this is not a company that skimps.

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Examples

  • We moved to a smaller house, skimped on meals, darned clothes, and heated cow's milk for Ella.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • We can't skimp on the investment we're making in our children's future.

  • So this is a thing that I like to point out is this is the moment not to skimp on testing.

  • But I think that what people are really saying is they don't want me to skimp on the detail.

  • Don't skimp on the meat.

  • Placing a cap on price, however, gives the private supplier an incentive to skimp on service and product quality.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Never skimp on bread.

  • Often overlooked or skimped on, staff development is especially vital in an era of rapidly evolving technology.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Skimping on editing, layout, and design can lead to books that look unprofessional or, worse, sloppy.

    Academic text (2011)
  • You can see through these grills, the huge heat sinks that are cooling the GPU and the CPU, because this notebook does not skimp on the specs.

Synonyms

to save
vsto skimp
644 1.0

Use less of something to avoid waste

means to provide insufficiently often with intent to cut costs
to scrimp
vsto skimp
8 7.4

Spend very little money by using only what you need

uses less to save but usually less extreme or desperate
to skimp on
vsto skimp
7 6.8

Give less of something than is needed to save money or effort

is the same idea but expressed without a following preposition
to stint
vsto skimp
2 7.4

To give or use only small amounts

focuses on limiting supply amount rather than saving money specifically
to underuse
vsto skimp
1 3.6

To use something less than you should

involves giving or supplying too little often to save resources

Antonyms

17 5.3

To give a lot of money, praise, or love to someone freely

Phrasal Verbs

7 6.8

Give less of something than is needed to save money or effort

To deal with something quickly and not in enough detail

How Generous

giving
1.7
to provide
1.5
to skimp
16 5.8
to withhold
210 5.1

Surface Forms

skimp infinitive
skimped past
skimped past participle
skimping present participle
skimps third person singular

Etymology

Skimp is easy to remember if you think of skimpy, which means 'small' or 'not enough'. It probably comes from an old English idea of 'making things scant', so to skimp is to give or use less than needed, often to save money or effort.