Definition of "cheap" in English

adjective

1. Low or reduced in price.

2. Of poor quality.

3. Of little worth.

4. (slang, of an action or tactic in a game of skill) Underhanded or unfair.

   • the cheap trick of hiding deadly lava under pushable blocks

5. (informal, chiefly derogatory) Stingy; mean; excessively frugal.

   • Insurance is expensive, but don't be so cheap that you risk losing your home because of a fire.

6. (finance) Trading at a price level which is low relative to historical trends, a similar asset, or (for derivatives) a theoretical value.

   • The ETF is trading cheap to NAV right now; we can arb this by buying the ETF and selling the underlying constituents.

7. (computing) Taking little of system time or resources.

   • the algorithm is cheap to compute

noun

1. (obsolete) Trade; traffic; chaffer; chaffering.

2. (obsolete) A market; marketplace.

3. (obsolete) Price.

4. (obsolete) A low price; a bargain.

5. (obsolete) Cheapness; lowness of price; abundance of supply.

verb

1. (intransitive) To trade; traffic; bargain; chaffer; ask the price of goods; cheapen goods.

2. (transitive) To bargain for; chaffer for; ask the price of; offer a price for; cheapen.

3. (transitive) To buy; purchase.

4. (transitive) To sell.

adverb

1. Cheaply.

   • I bought this cheap in a junk shop.
   • The pet shop has some budgerigars going cheap.
   • March 24 1658, John Milton, letter to Emeric Bigot I need not request you to purchase them as cheap as possible