Definition

Verb: - To be extremely careful or frugal with money; to spend as little as possible, often to an excessive or stingy degree.

Usage

This verb describes the action of being overly thrifty or miserly. It often carries a negative connotation, implying that someone is unwilling to spend money even on necessary or reasonable things. It is typically used in informal contexts.

Examples

• Verb:
  • During the recession, many families had to penny-pinch just to afford groceries.
  • He penny-pinches on everything, even refusing to buy a proper office chair.
  • We don't need to penny-pinch on this project; quality is more important.

Advanced Usage

• "to be penny-pinching" (Adjectival/Participial form): Describing someone who is habitually frugal in a stingy way.
  • His penny-pinching attitude made it difficult to get the supplies we needed for the team.
• The action or practice itself can be referred to as "penny-pinching" (noun).
  • Her constant penny-pinching is starting to affect morale.

Variants and Related Words

• Penny-pincher (noun): A person who is excessively frugal; a miser.
  • He's such a penny-pincher that he reuses paper towels.
• Penny-pinching (noun or adjective): The practice of being extremely frugal; or describing someone/something characterized by such frugality.
  • Noun: Their success was due to years of careful penny-pinching.
  • Adjective: The company adopted a penny-pinching budget.

Synonyms

• Scrimp: To be sparing or frugal.
• Skimp: To spend less money or use less of something than is necessary, often resulting in poor quality.
• Stint: To be ungenerous or sparing in providing something.
• Tighten one's belt: To spend less money because of financial difficulties (this is an idiom, not a direct synonym for the act itself).

Antonyms

• Splurge: To spend money freely or extravagantly.
• Lavish: To bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities.

Related Idioms

• Pinch pennies: This is the idiomatic phrase from which the verb is derived. It has the same meaning.
  • We're pinching pennies this month to save for our vacation.
• Feel the pinch: To experience hardship, especially financial hardship.
  • Many households are feeling the pinch due to rising inflation. (Note: This is related but does not mean the same as "penny-pinch").

Verb

1. spend money frugally; spend as little as possible