thrift
Americannoun
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economical management; economy; frugality.
My father valued thrift, hard work, and self-sufficiency.
Memories of her thrift and capability inspire me.
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Also called thrift institution. Banking. a savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit union.
To help the thrifts survive, Congress deregulated the industry, lifting restrictions on the kinds of loans they could make.
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Also called sea pink. any alpine and maritime plant belonging to the genus Armeria, of the leadwort family, having pink or white flowers, especially A. maritima, noted for its vigorous growth.
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any of various similar or related plants.
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vigorous growth, as of a plant.
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Obsolete. prosperity.
verb (used with object)
noun
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wisdom and caution in the management of money
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Also called: sea pink. any of numerous perennial plumbaginaceous low-growing plants of the genus Armeria, esp A. maritima, of Europe, W Asia, and North America, having narrow leaves and round heads of pink or white flowers
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rare vigorous thriving or growth, as of a plant
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a building society, savings bank, or credit union
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an obsolete word for prosperity
Other Word Forms
- nonthrift adjective
- thriftless adjective
- thriftlessly adverb
- thriftlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of thrift
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old Norse: “well-being, prosperity”; thrive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Otherwise, there’s a library, a coffee shop, a dance studio. Um...We have three thrift and antique shops. And there’s the national park.”
From Literature
Several weeks ago, on an unseasonably warm winter afternoon in Chicago, I found myself in the second — or possibly third — thrift shop of the day.
From Salon
My grandma loves shopping a bit too much, but she shops at thrift stores, so their shopping and entertainment expenses remain low.
From MarketWatch
The company promises to distribute all that waste to specialty recyclers, manufacturers, even thrift shops.
From Los Angeles Times
But with the help of Aunt Melissa’s closet and a tiny thrift store in Somewhere, she makes it work.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
