cheap out

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Also seen as: cheapen out

Sense 1

Meaning · English

To reduce costs on a project or product to an unreasonable degree; to cut corners.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Giảm chi phí dự án hoặc sản phẩm đến mức không hợp lý

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: informal

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

That's not the kind of product you want to cheap out on.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

To act cheap; to unreasonably refuse to spend money.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Hành động keo kiệt, từ chối bỏ tiền một cách không hợp lý

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: informal

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

To be too stingy to achieve a purpose or provide a promised product/service/project.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

quá keo kiệt để đạt được mục đích hoặc cung cấp sản phẩm/dịch vụ/dự án

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: informal

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “cheap out” mean?

To reduce costs on a project or product to an unreasonable degree; to cut corners.

Is “cheap out” formal or informal?

cheap out is generally informal.

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