skimp

Imagine you're building a beautiful castle out of LEGO bricks, but you're running low on the special gold pieces. If you skimp on them, you might use less than you really need so you can save some for later, and the tower will not look as good. To skimp means to use too little of something important, such as money, time, effort, or materials, so the result is weaker or worse.

It often suggests that someone does this to save money, save time, or avoid effort. You might skimp on ingredients when baking because you do not want to go to the store, or a builder might skimp on safety measures to save money. The word is negative because it suggests that something important has been reduced too much.

To skimp means to give, use, or spend less than is really needed, and this often leads to poor quality or weak results. A person can skimp on money, time, effort, materials, food, sleep, or anything else that should be provided in a proper amount. Think of a chef who skimps on spices when making a dish; the meal may taste flat and disappointing.

People often do this to save money or resources, but it usually causes problems later. A company might skimp on employee training to cut costs, and the workers may then perform worse. Someone might skimp on sleep to get more work done, but later feel exhausted and unfocused.

The word is often used with the preposition "on." For example, people say "They skimped on the decorations," "Do not skimp on safety," or "He skimped on preparation and it showed." In these cases, the idea is not just using less, but using so little that the result suffers.

You can skimp on small extras if you want to save money, but when you skimp on essentials, the result is often disappointing, unsafe, or unfair. In everyday English, the word usually carries the feeling of cutting corners in a way that is not wise or not good enough.