What does skimp mean?
To skimp is to economize by using, providing, or spending less than is adequate. It is especially common in the construction “skimp on,” as in “skimp on portions,” “skimp on quality,” or “skimp on safety.” The word commonly carries a negative or disapproving tone because the reduced amount is often judged to be too little: a business that skimps on maintenance may save money now but risk larger costs later. It can also describe stingy behavior toward another person, meaning to give someone less than they deserve or need. Although skimp can suggest deliberate thrift, its usual implication is that the saving comes at the expense of adequacy, quality, or fairness. It is therefore a useful word for discussing both everyday economy and decisions that may be penny-wise but harmful in the long term.
verbTo use, give, or spend less than is needed or appropriate, especially by economizing. It is commonly used with the preposition “on”: “to skimp on something.”
- To use, provide, or spend less than is needed, especially as a deliberate economy.
- To be stingy or miserly, especially in the provision of food, materials, or effort.
- To treat someone stingily or give someone less than they deserve.
"The restaurant was careful not to skimp on the quality of its ingredients."
"The company was accused of skimpping on safety checks to reduce costs."
"If you skimp on practice, you are likely to perform poorly in the final."
To skimp is to leave something short: skimp on the ingredients, skimp on the effort, or skimp on the truth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skimp come from?
The precise origin of skimp is uncertain. The word appears in English in the eighteenth century and is not securely derived from a single well-established source; some of its development may have been influenced by related words concerning small amounts, including scrimp. Its established modern meaning focuses on economizing or being stingy, rather than on any one clearly identifiable ancient root.
Related word forms
How skimp is actually used
Usually informal or mildly disapproving, especially when it suggests a harmful economy in quality, safety, effort, or fairness. In British English, “skimp on” is particularly common. The verb often implies not merely thrift but an insufficient or noticeably reduced amount.
Easily confused with skimp
To skim is to remove or read a thin layer from the surface of something, whereas to skimp is to use or provide less than is needed.
Scrimp means to economize through careful saving or limited spending, while skimp more commonly suggests economizing on a particular item, portion, or area of expenditure.