From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcheapcheap1 /tʃiːp/ ●●● S1 W2 adjective (comparative cheaper, superlative cheapest) 1 low priceCHEAP not at all expensive, or lower in price than you expected OPP expensive cheap rail fares the cheapest TV on the market Property is cheaper in Spain than here. a cheap shop (=one that sells goods cheaply) The equipment is relatively cheap and simple to use. This coat was dirt cheap (= very cheap - an informal expression)cheap and cheerful British English (=simple and not expensive, but of reasonable quality) a cheap and cheerful Italian restaurant2 bad qualityCHEAP low in price and quality Cheap wine gives me a headache. cheap jewellery The furniture looked cheap and nasty. a cheap imitation of the real thing3 not expensive to useCHEAP not costing much to use or to employ SYN inexpensivecheap to run/use/maintain etc Gas appliances are usually cheaper to run than electric ones. For the employer, a part-time workforce means a cheap labour supply.4 not deserving respectUNKIND showing a lack of honesty, moral principles, or sincere feelings, so that you do not deserve respect She felt cheap and stupid, like a naughty child caught stealing. You’re lying, aren’t you? You’re so cheap. His remark was a cheap shot at short people. another cheap political stunt It was nothing but a cheap trick (=unkind trick).5 not generous American English not liking to spend money SYN mean British English She’s too cheap to take a cab. 6 → cheap thrill7 → life is cheap8 → cheap at the price/at any price —cheaply adverb a cheaply furnished room They lived as cheaply as possible. —cheapness noun [uncountable] the relative cheapness of housingTHESAURUScheap costing very little money, or less than you expectedMy shoes were really cheap – they only cost £25.The cheapest way to get to Chicago is to take the bus.cheap flightslow low prices, rents, and fees do not cost a lot of money. Do not use cheap with these wordsWhy is the share price so low? You could get equally good accommodation elsewhere at a lower rent. inexpensive especially written not expensive – use this especially about things that are of good quality, even though they do not cost a lotThe furniture is inexpensive, but well made.a simple inexpensive meala hotel that offers air-conditioned rooms at relatively inexpensive pricesreasonable a reasonable price seems fair because it is not too highThe restaurant serves good food at reasonable prices. Only £25 a night? That sounds reasonable.economical cheap because you do not need to use a lot of money or fuelan economical carIt is usually more economical to buy in large quantities. affordable cheap enough for most people to be able to buy or pay foraffordable housing Single mothers often have trouble finding affordable childcare.The shop sells designer fashions at affordable prices.competitive competitive prices and rates are as low as those charged by other shops or companiesI think you’ll find our prices are extremely competitive.The hotel offers a high standard of service at very competitive rates.budget [only before noun] budget flights, airlines, hotels etc have especially low pricesYou can get a budget flight to Amsterdam for only £19.a list of budget hotels for under $50 a nightbudget accommodation for families with young childrenbe good/great value to be worth at least the price you pay for it, so that you feel pleased and think you have spent your money wellThe meals at Charlie’s Pizza are really good value.The holiday is great value for money.be a bargain informal to be extremely cheapI got this shirt when I was in Indonesia. It was a real bargain.COLLOCATIONS CHECKlow price/cost/rent/fee/chargereasonable price/costeconomical car/way/methodaffordable accommodation/housing/pricecompetitive price/ratebudget flight/airline/hotel/accommodation
Examples from the Corpus
cheap• My flight to Reno was really cheap.• Who brought the nasty cheap beer?• I bought the cheapest computer I could find.• The hotel room was very small, with cheap furniture and a bumpy bed.• The room was depressing, with dim light and cheap furniture.• Uncle Matt was really cheap - he used to stay with us for weeks, and he never paid for anything.• a cheap leather jacket• The interior of the car is all plastic and has a cheap look about it.• The girls wore bright frilly dresses and were drenched in cheap perfume.• Oh look -- a present from Rob. I bet it's another bottle of cheap perfume.• Cheaper production facilities have helped boost profits.• Green Bay players complained that the Cowboys are taught to apply cheap shots.• The tourist shops were full of cheap souvenirs.• Hungry-looking men in cheap suits hung around the streets all day.• The outlet mall is a lot cheaper than stores downtown.• My shoes were really cheap - they only cost $15.• Then they both walked into an alley between a small pentecostal church and a rat-eaten shack advertising cheap tires.• Wooden houses are relatively cheap to build.• This makes women cheaper to dismiss and makes them more vulnerable to redundancy.• It's cheaper to phone after six o'clock.• Richard Branson's Virgin Records, for instance, grew and diversified, including a successful foray into cheap transatlantic flights.• A smart suit with cheap uncomfortable shoes generally reveals a man posing above his station.• The simplest and cheapest way of photographing a slide or peel is to use it as a photographic negative.• The cheapest way to get to Chicago is to take the bus.relatively cheap• If people think exchange rates will rise, they will demand sterling while it is still relatively cheap.• The equipment is relatively cheap and simple to use.• The premium is again relatively cheap, depending on the extent of cover, and varies from about £3 to £10.• Even if wages are relatively cheap, electricity is not.• Wind power should also be relatively cheaper in the long term, as the pollution costs of fossil fuels rise.• We're talking relatively cheap mega-acres of land and the use of mass-production techniques.• Local newspapers are widely read and relatively cheap to advertise in.• Due to its small size and high fecundity it is relatively cheap to breed, buy and maintain.cheap and nasty• I don't like plastic shoes. They always seem cheap and nasty.• The sunroof looks cheap and nasty.• The Melrose may be the cheap end of the market, but it isn't the cheap and nasty end.• They were watch boxes, cheap and nasty, the kind sold in filling-stations.• What do you think of these bracelets? They look really cheap and nasty to me.• He says it's a cheap and nasty way of administering justice in this country. cheap to run/use/maintain etc• It had become easier to fashion and cheaper to use.• Self-administered schemes are cheap to run.• Unit trusts are also cheaper to run.• Which would be the cheapest to run?• It is a robust and very useful aircraft which is cheap to run and has great endurance.• These computers were smaller than the first-generation machines, were cheaper to run, and were much more reliable.• Low energy-using fridges and washing machines have recently appeared on the market and are cheaper to run than ordinary ones.• A dimension that gives you a more effective heating system that's cheaper to run - Total Heating with Central Control.cheap shot• Green Bay players complained that the Cowboys are taught to apply cheap shots.• He deserves better than to be criticised by gay activists with such a cheap shot.• His jokes were generally well-chosen, except for one cheap shot about short people.• Take cheap shots and distort facts in order to get ahead?• Burke's article was a cheap shot at teenagers that did nothing to look past stereotypes.• It was a cheap shot but an effective one.• Or, analysts say, it could be a cheap shot by an employee at an Apple competitor.• There is increased range flexibility, it is cheaper shot for shot and it leaves a much more saleable end-product.cheapcheap2 adverb CHEAPat a low price Air fares to Africa don’t come cheap (=are expensive). I bought this house because it was going cheap (=selling for a lower price than usual). She used to get meat cheap at the butcher’s. They’re selling linen off cheap in Lewis’s.Examples from the Corpus
cheap• That dress makes her look real cheap.• You can buy electronic diaries fairly cheaply nowadays.• Old houses can sometimes be bought cheap and fixed up.• And the Navy wants the vessel cheap -- by Pentagon standards at least.• It won't come cheap, though.don’t come cheap• Houses like that don't come cheap.cheapcheap3 noun → on the cheapFrom Longman Business Dictionarycheapcheap /tʃiːp/ adjective1not costing very much to buyAt least the accommodation and food are cheap.Buyers got their orders in while shares were relatively cheap.the introduction of special cheap fares to France2COMMERCEnot costing very much to produce, use, or employthe prospect of obtaining cheap electricity from sunlightThese taxes are cheap to administer. —cheaply adverbPork is priced cheaply in relation to beef.China is keen to buy metals cheaply.3on the cheap British English if work is done on the cheap, it is done for less money than you would expect and may not be done very wellMuch of the building work was done on the cheap, using materials salvaged from old buildings.Origin cheap1 (1500-1600) good cheap “at a good price, cheaply”, from cheap “trade, price” ((11-18 centuries)), from Old English ceap 