scrimps

verb

present tense third-person singular of scrimp
as in saves
to avoid unnecessary waste or expense had to scrimp and save for years in order to be able to afford a house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrimps
  1. saves
  2. conserves
  3. spares
Verb
  • While uptight Elinor excels at hiding her feelings for the similarly taciturn Edward, Marianne goes wild (nearly feral, really) when new neighbor Willoughby saves her from physical injury (literally sweeping her off her feet and a wincing ankle).
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
  • These missions are clearly well-intentioned, and every skimmer removed saves families from being deprived of food.
    — Eli Hager, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of saves
Verb
  • The intact leaf blanket also conserves moisture and prevents soil from drying out over the winter.
    — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In Boise, a growing number of people have turned to xeriscaping in recent years, which is a type of landscaping that conserves water by using native or drought-tolerant plants, according to previous Statesman reporting.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of conserves
Verb
  • Companion animal euthanasia is a therapeutic intervention to mitigate suffering; when conducted properly, the process spares the subject both fear and pain.
    — Dr. Jacob Appel, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Speaking of the oversized, the collection’s Handloom Cardigan fits the bill but spares you from imitating a balloon, courtesy of those vertical stripes (also known as the oldest optical trick in the fashion book).
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of spares
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.

Browse Nearby Words

scrimping
scrimps
scrip
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scrimps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrimps. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All