cheap

cheap — adjective

1. not costing very much, especially when compared with the usual price for similar

1.adjectiveA1
Definition

not costing very much, especially when compared with the usual price for similar items

Example

Aiko bought a cheap bicycle from her neighbor for just thirty dollars.

collocation: cheap + concrete noun (bicycle, ticket, meal)

The food at that market stall is fresh and very cheap.

coordinates adjectives after be: fresh and cheap

Common collocations
  • cheap flight
  • cheap meal
  • cheap hotel
  • cheap ticket
  • cheap price
Synonyms
  • inexpensive

    more neutral and formal; does not imply low quality

  • affordable

    focuses on being within someone's budget, not on low price itself

  • budget

    used before nouns; suggests a deliberate choice to spend less

  • low-cost

    used especially for services, travel, or housing; neutral tone

Antonyms
  • expensive

    costing a lot of money

  • costly

    more formal; often implies a high price relative to value

Usage Note

When talking about expensive items like cars or houses, use affordable or reasonably priced instead of cheap, which can suggest poor quality.

Common Mistakes

I bought a cheap new car for my family.' (suggests the car is low quality)
I bought an affordable new car for my family.
cheap can sound negative for large purchases, while affordable is neutral.

2. charging prices that are low, used to describe a shop, restaurant, hotel, or sim

2.adjective
Definition

charging prices that are low, used to describe a shop, restaurant, hotel, or similar place

Example

The cafeteria near the office is cheap and always busy at lunchtime.

place as subject: be + cheap

Yara stays at a cheap hostel whenever she travels around Europe.

Common collocations
  • cheap restaurant
  • cheap hotel
  • cheap shop
  • cheap bar
  • cheap store
Synonyms
  • budget

    often used before nouns like budget hotel or budget airline

  • inexpensive

    more neutral and less common for places

  • low-priced

    describes the items sold rather than the establishment itself

Antonyms
  • expensive

    charging high prices

  • posh

    informal; expensive and high-quality

Usage Note

This sense applies only to places where you pay for goods or services. It describes the business itself, not the individual items it sells.

3. made with such poor materials or workmanship that it barely works, yet costs ver

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

made with such poor materials or workmanship that it barely works, yet costs very little to buy

Example

The toy broke within an hour because it was made of cheap plastic.

collocation: cheap + material (plastic, fabric, metal)

Nadia bought a cheap watch from a street seller, and it stopped after two days.

narrative: cheap + product + consequence

Common collocations
  • cheap material
  • cheap goods
  • cheap quality
  • cheap imitation
  • cheap product
Synonyms
  • shoddy

    informal; made or done badly

  • poor-quality

    direct and clear; less informal

  • flimsy

    weak and easily broken, especially of materials

Antonyms
  • sturdy

    strong and well-made

  • durable

    lasts a long time without breaking

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (LOW PRICE): cheap in this sense always implies poor workmanship or materials, not just a low price. The item is not considered a good value.

Common Mistakes

These headphones were only ten dollars, but they work perfectly — they are so cheap.' (ambiguous — sounds like you are criticizing them)
These headphones were only ten dollars, but they work perfectly
they are great value for the price.' — use cheap for low quality only when the item is truly bad.

4. not willing to spend money on other people, even when you have enough

4.adjective
Definition

not willing to spend money on other people, even when you have enough

Example

Tomás is so cheap that he never buys a drink for his friends.

so + cheap + that-clause (informal, disapproving)

The company was cheap and refused to pay for the staff Christmas party.

organization as subject: cheap about spending

Common collocations
  • cheap boss
  • cheap landlord
  • too cheap to
  • so cheap that
Synonyms
  • stingy

    very similar in meaning, equally informal

  • tight

    informal British English

  • miserly

    more formal and stronger; suggests a greedy love of money

Antonyms

Usage Note

This sense is always disapproving. It is more informal than stingy or miserly but carries the same negative judgment about someone's unwillingness to share money.

5. slightly cruel and unpleasant, used especially about a remark or joke that is ea

5.adjective
Definition

slightly cruel and unpleasant, used especially about a remark or joke that is easy to make but hurtful to the person it targets

Example

Greta made a cheap joke about her colleague's new haircut in front of everyone.

collocation: cheap joke / cheap remark

The comedian's cheap comments about the audience member felt mean.

Common collocations
  • cheap joke
  • cheap shot
  • cheap remark
  • cheap laugh
  • cheap comment
Synonyms
  • cruel

    stronger; deliberately causing pain

  • mean

    informal; unkind in a petty way

  • tasteless

    lacking sensitivity; may not be deliberately hurtful

Antonyms
  • kind

    gentle and caring

  • tactful

    careful not to upset others

Usage Note

The most common fixed expression with this sense is a cheap shot — a comment that unfairly attacks someone's weakness. Also used in cheap joke, cheap remark, and cheap laugh.

6. of a person's clothing or appearance clearly intended to attract sexual attentio

6.adjective
Definition

of a person's clothing or appearance clearly intended to attract sexual attention, in a way that some people consider lacking good taste

Example

Wen thought the actress looked cheap in that very short red dress.

pattern: look + cheap (about appearance)

Esme's mother told her the shiny gold top looked cheap for an interview.

register: informal, disapproving of clothing choice

Common collocations
  • look cheap
  • feel cheap
  • cheap clothes
  • cheap outfit
  • cheap look
Synonyms
  • tacky

    cheap-looking and in bad taste, not specifically sexual

  • tasteless

    lacking style or judgment; broader in scope

Antonyms
  • classy

    informal; stylish and sophisticated

  • elegant

    graceful and stylish in a simple way

Usage Note

This sense is old-fashioned and considered offensive by many people. It judges someone's character based on their clothing. Use with caution or avoid in neutral contexts.

Idioms

dirt cheap

idiom

extremely low in price; costing almost nothing

These old books were dirt cheap at the library sale — only fifty cents each.

Renting an apartment in that area used to be dirt cheap before the new train station opened.

cheap and cheerful

idiom

simple, inexpensive, and satisfactory in quality; good value for a low price

The cafe serves cheap and cheerful meals that taste like home cooking.

We bought cheap and cheerful furniture for the guest room since nobody stays long.

on the cheap

idiom

spending as little money as possible, often resulting in poor quality or inconvenience

They renovated their kitchen on the cheap, and the sink started leaking after a month.

Travelling on the cheap sounds fun but you may end up sleeping in noisy dorms.

cheap at the price

idiom

worth more than the amount you paid for it; an excellent bargain despite the cost

The car needed some repairs, but at three thousand dollars it was cheap at the price.

A good dictionary costs a bit more, but it is cheap at the price for what you learn.

life is cheap

idiom

This phrase describes a situation where people's lives are not valued and harm to them is considered unimportant.

In that war-torn region, life is cheap and violence is common.

Maya felt that life was cheap in the factory where safety rules were ignored.

cheap — adverb

Word family

  • cheaply
    adverbB1
  • cheapness
    nounC1
  • cheapen
    verbC1
  • dirt-cheap
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe something that does not cost much, but they differ in connotation and use. Cheap is the most common and casual word, but it can suggest poor quality (a cheap toy breaks easily). Inexpensive is more neutral and formal — it describes a low price without judging the quality (an inexpensive hotel). Budget is used before nouns and emphasises a deliberate choice to spend less, often in travel and shopping (budget airline, budget option). Low-cost is similar to budget but more factual, often used for services and housing (low-cost housing). Affordable focuses on whether something fits a person's budget rather than being objectively low-priced (an affordable car for a young family). When describing expensive items like cars or houses, affordable or reasonably priced are better choices than cheap, which may sound negative.

cheap ↗inexpensive ↗budget ↗low-costaffordable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinEnglish

The word cheap comes from Old English ceap, which meant 'bargain, trade, or price.' This came from Latin caupo ('tradesman, shopkeeper'). In early English, the phrase 'good cheap' meant 'a good bargain.' Over time, the noun became an adjective meaning 'low in price' by the 1500s. The negative meaning of 'low quality' developed later, around the 1800s, when cheap goods from factories were often poorly made.