noun
cheapskate
CHEEP-skayt/ˈtʃiːpskeɪt/
A person unwilling to spend money.
The cheapskate clutches her full wallet and lets her companion pay.
Etymology
Cheap developed from “purchase” through the idea of a favorable bargain to “inexpensive.” In this contemptuous label for a miser, skate may come from slang for a worn-out horse, whose origin is uncertain.
In context
except she was a total cheapskate.
More examples
- Don't be a cheapskate—leave a decent tip.
- My uncle is a cheapskate who never buys anyone a birthday present.
- Those cheapskates always expect someone else to cover their share.
Forms
cheapskate · cheapskates
stingy adjective — Unwilling to spend or share money.
Similar words
- miser
- Suggests hoarding wealth and avoiding even necessary spending.
- penny-pincher
- Emphasizes saving even tiny amounts, sometimes at others' expense.