on the cheap

idiomatic phrase

: at minimum expense : cheaply
did the job on the cheap

Examples of on the cheap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But around 2016, as Mood Machine details, Spotify developed the Perfect Fit Content initiative, partnering with licensing companies that paid studio pros to bang out easy-listening ditties for the streamer—in essence, replicating popular playlist sounds on the cheap. Brad Shoup, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025 The sell-off in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals presents an opportunity for investors to buy the stock on the cheap, according to Leerink Partners. Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025 By having all of that and over 30 years of experience in house, the three hope to give brewers the chance to enter the scene on the cheap. Max Scheinblum, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025 Austen is trying to repair a friendship, and Craig is trying to extricate himself from a business deal and attempt to do it on the cheap. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for on the cheap 

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of on the cheap was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near on the cheap

Cite this Entry

“On the cheap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20cheap. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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