Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To be very frugal and sparing.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Scanty; narrow; deficient; contracted.
  • noun A niggard; a pinching miser.
  • To pinch or scant; limit closely; be sparing in the food, clothes, money, etc., of; deal sparingly with; straiten.
  • To be sparing in; narrow, straiten, stint, or contract, especially through a niggard or sparing use or allowance of something; make too small, short, or scanty; limit: as, to scrimp a coat, or the cloth for making it.
  • To be parsimonious or miserly: as, to save and scrimp.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Short; scanty; curtailed.
  • transitive verb To make too small or short; to limit or straiten; to put on short allowance; to scant; to contract; to shorten.
  • noun U.S. A pinching miser; a niggard.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A pinching miser; a niggard.
  • verb transitive To make too small or short; to scant; to contract; to shorten.
  • verb transitive To limit or straiten; to put on short allowance.
  • verb intransitive To be frugal.
  • adjective Short; scanty; curtailed.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb subsist on a meager allowance

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish skrympa, to shrink.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

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Examples

  • Another are where they scrimp is on the safety and training of their own personnel.

    Boing Boing: September 24, 2006 - September 30, 2006 Archives 2006

  • "The one place we will never scrimp is life and death areas like the State Police," Daniels said. "

    Putting Your Safety Second Cass Dems 2005

  • "The one place we will never scrimp is life and death areas like the State Police," Daniels said. "

    Archive 2005-09-01 Cass Dems 2005

  • Theresa May today pledged not to "scrimp" on Olympic security, insisting every precaution necessary will be taken to protect the public during the

    Evening Standard - Home 2010

  • Many would argue that if medical insurance doesn't cover primary and preventive care, then people will "scrimp" on these and just not partake.

    U.S. News 2009

  • "scrimp" on anything, they'll have tens of thousands of fans to answer to.

    Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider 2009

  • I say "largely" because campaigns found ways to scrimp and save by renting cars across the state line, a minor dodge which seems quite quaint in today's post-Citizens United decision milieu of anything goes spending.

    William Bradley: Iowa Then and Now William Bradley 2011

  • I say "largely" because campaigns found ways to scrimp and save by renting cars across the state line, a minor dodge which seems quite quaint in today's post-Citizens United decision milieu of anything goes spending.

    William Bradley: Iowa Then and Now William Bradley 2011

  • “You know maybe—just maybe—if we scrimp and save all those taxes we've been paying, we'll be able to afford a vacation home some day.”

    Tax Tips From Tila Tequila, Professional Bisexual Con Chapman 2011

  • Others raised concerns that an investor-rental strategy would leave neighborhoods worse off if investors scrimp on property maintenance.

    Housing Plan Gets a Mixed Response Nick Timiraos 2011

Comments

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  • Southern/urban devolution of 'shrimp'.

    April 20, 2009