as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
money would be skimp until she got her first paycheck from her new job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to save
to avoid unnecessary waste or expense
we must skimp and save if we are going to afford a vacation this summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of skimp
Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024
The caviar is often canned or frozen during the summer and fall to enjoy during the long winters—a taste of sunshine when our daylight hours are shortened to a skimp five.
—Irina Groushevaia, Bon Appétit, 15 July 2021
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
The couple’s new home doesn’t skimp on function, either; there’s an elevator, a four-car garage, and, essential for life in hurricane country, impact-resistant windows and doors and a full-house generator.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skimp
Adjective
Elon Musk’s product reveals rarely, if ever, skimp on style.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024
The caviar is often canned or frozen during the summer and fall to enjoy during the long winters—a taste of sunshine when our daylight hours are shortened to a skimp five.
—Irina Groushevaia, Bon Appétit, 15 July 2021
Verb
What’s most impressive is how On the Road turns a boilerplate genre scenario — and one that doesn’t skimp on a bloodbath at the end — into a movie that grows increasingly emotional as things get exponentially worse for its main characters.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
The couple’s new home doesn’t skimp on function, either; there’s an elevator, a four-car garage, and, essential for life in hurricane country, impact-resistant windows and doors and a full-house generator.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skimp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skimp
Adjective
-
The position of elementary education among the least susceptible to poverty might be surprising, but elementary school teachers are scarce and in demand.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The number of investigations is scarce not because of a lack of potential violations.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Biglari’s core demands were to stop opening new stores entirely, eliminate the development team to save money, and focus exclusively on improving existing store operations rather than expansion.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
-
One paper in August estimates that Covid vaccines saved more than 2 million lives, mostly among older adults, worldwide between 2020 and October 2024.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The announcement, sparse on specific details, captured the trepidation and lingering ambivalences that AI companies have about policing young users, even as OpenAI begins to implement these basic features nearly three years after the launch of ChatGPT.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
-
But in images with few items and sparser backgrounds, the spatial effect looks unnatural.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The researchers tested their two-part drug on mice and zebrafish engineered to produce β-glucuronidase, and found that the drug was activated almost exclusively in tumors, sparing healthy tissue and organs.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Lawmakers will be on their annual autumn recess, sparing the government an awkward decision.—
Jill Lawless,
Twin Cities,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Resort emphasizes green lodging practices such as non-toxic cleaning supplies, linen reuse to conserve water and energy, and no bottled water in lodging units.—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The pipeline will help conserve enough water to supply 200 new homes in the Yaqui community.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The system reduces emissions, noise, and vibration while economizing on fuel and maintenance costs.—
Kathleen Turner,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Nonperishables that come in aluminum or steel cans — think beans, chickpeas, and soups — are typically thought of as a way for shoppers to economize.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
Kang Ha-neul plays a young man who has been scrimping and saving his whole life to buy his own apartment, only to discover that living so close to strangers brings its own problems.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 July 2025
-
To her, people who scrimped and saved and eked out a mean existence were as idiotic as people who got themselves into debt.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
15 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skimp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skimp. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share