verb

skimp

SKIMP/skɪmp/

Use or provide less than is needed.

The painter skimps on paint, leaving the wall patchy.

A painter applies too little paint to a wall, obvious patchy thin coverage while leaving ample paint unused.

Etymology

Skimp first described making clothing with too little fabric. That concrete shortage broadened into using insufficient resources or effort; its ancestry remains uncertain, probably involving skimpy or scrimp.

In context

Edutopia1:35

So, consider activities like mindfulness or meditation to help students deal with stress, and don't skimp on recess. Spend the time.

What's Executive Function—and Why Does it Matter?

More examples

They skimped on insulation to reduce the building cost.
She refuses to skimp on good ingredients.
Skimping on preparation made the job harder.

Forms

skimp · skimps · skimped · skimping

Similar words

scrimp: Scrimp emphasizes spending very little; skimp can concern time, effort, or materials too.
economize: Economize reduces waste or expense; skimp suggests allowing too little.