What is the meaning of nickel-and-dime?

verb

  • Spend money frugally; spend as little as possible.
  • Accumulate gradually.
    • usage: "she nickeled-and-dimed together a small house for her family"

adjective

  • Of minor importance.
    • usage: "a nickel-and-dime operation run out of a single rented room"; "a small-time actor"
  • Low-paying.
    • usage: "a nickel-and-dime job"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). nickel-and-dime. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/nickel-and-dime/definitions/1179114
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "nickel-and-dime" http://smartdefine.org/nickel-and-dime/definitions/1179114 (accessed September 23, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, nickel-and-dime, Smart Define, viewed 23 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/nickel-and-dime/definitions/1179114>.
MLAWordNet. "nickel-and-dime" 23 October 2010. Web. 23 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/nickel-and-dime/definitions/1179114>