What does scrimp mean?
To scrimp is to economize excessively, usually by spending as little money as possible or doing without something that is needed or worthwhile. The expression “scrimp on” is particularly common: a family might scrimp on food, a business might scrimp on maintenance, or a person might scrimp on spending to save for a future purpose. The word generally carries a negative or disapproving connotation because it suggests going beyond prudent saving and making life unnecessarily uncomfortable. It can nevertheless be used neutrally when the restriction is intentional, as when someone says they refused to scrimp on an important celebration. The related noun “scrimp,” meaning a miserly person, survives mainly in older or literary usage. Scrimp comes from an earlier word for a miser and entered modern English as a verb in the early nineteenth century. Its enduring power comes from the image of someone who weighs every penny and sacrifices comfort to accumulate savings.
To economize excessively or spend very little money, especially by limiting necessary or desirable expenses.
"Many families scrimp on heating during the winter."
Frequently used with “on”; often implies that the amount saved is disproportionately small compared with the cost or hardship involved.
A mean, stingy, or miserly person.
"The old play portrays the miser as the scrimp of the family."
Chiefly literary, archaic, or dated in modern use.
A rare, chiefly literary or archaic plural; the verb is far more common.
"The play depicts household scrimps who hoard money even when others are hungry."
To scrimp is not merely to save; it means to economize so stingily that something essential may be sacrificed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scrimp come from?
The verb developed in the early nineteenth century from an earlier noun meaning a miser or stingy person, acquiring its modern sense of economizing sparingly. The word's ultimate origin is uncertain, and comparisons with Dutch forms are not sufficiently secure to establish a definite cognate. The related adjective “scrimpy” was formed later in the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How scrimp is actually used
The expression “scrimp on” is especially common. The verb usually has a negative implication: ordinary saving is not necessarily scrimping, but scrimping suggests excessive, sometimes miserly restraint. The noun is now chiefly literary or archaic, while the verb remains in general use.