thrift
/θrɪft/ (bre, ipa) · /θrɪft/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈthrift/ (ame, mw)
thrift — noun
- thriftsingular
- thriftsplural
1. the practice of spending money only on what you truly need and putting the rest
the practice of spending money only on what you truly need and putting the rest aside, so that nothing goes to waste
Her grandmother's thrift meant reusing every jar and saving every penny.
collocation: practise thrift — shown through possessive + noun
Through years of careful thrift, Mei saved enough to open her own bakery.
collocation: years of thrift
The family's thrift during hard times kept food on the table.
Amir admired his father's thrift — nothing in the house was ever thrown away.
Thrift taught Elena to mend torn clothes instead of buying new ones.
- frugality
more formal; often describes a whole lifestyle rather than just money habits
- economy
broader in scope — applies to any resource, not only money
- penny-pinching
informal and mildly negative; suggests being too careful with small amounts
- wastefulness
spending or using resources carelessly
- extravagance
spending freely and luxuriously without concern for cost
用法筆記
Uncountable noun; never used with 'a'. Commonly appears in phrases such as 'the virtue of thrift' or 'practise thrift'.
常見錯誤
2. a small wild plant that grows in rocky soil on seaside cliffs, producing tight r
a small wild plant that grows in rocky soil on seaside cliffs, producing tight round clusters of blossoms in pink, and sometimes white, on slender stems
Kofi spotted patches of pink thrift blooming on the cliff above the beach.
collocation: patches of thrift
Sea thrift covered the rocky headland, its flowers swaying in the salt wind.
Ingrid pressed a stem of thrift between the pages of her notebook.
The coastal path was lined with thrift, turning the cliffs pink in late spring.
- sea pink
the same plant; a more descriptive everyday name
- cliff rose
another common name for Armeria maritima, though less widely used
3. a financial institution in the United States that takes savings deposits from cu
a financial institution in the United States that takes savings deposits from customers and lends that money to people buying homes
The local thrift approved Diego's mortgage after reviewing his savings history.
Many thrifts in the Midwest offered better interest rates than big banks.
plural: thrifts — countable when referring to institutions
Harriet opened an account at a thrift to save for her first home.
During the 1980s crisis, hundreds of thrifts across the United States collapsed.
- savings and loan
the full formal name; 'thrift' is the shortened industry term
- building society
the British equivalent; provides similar savings and mortgage services
用法筆記
Countable in this sense (unlike sense 1). Refers specifically to a US savings and loan association. Rarely used outside American English contexts.
常見錯誤
thrift — verb
- thriftpresent simple I / you / we / they
- thrifts3rd person singular
- thrifting-ing form
- thriftedpast simple
1. to search charity shops and flea markets for secondhand treasures — clothes, boo
to search charity shops and flea markets for secondhand treasures — clothes, books, and home goods — and to buy them for far less than they would cost new
Zuri thrifted a beautiful woollen coat for only eight dollars last Saturday.
transitive: thrifted + direct object
Every weekend, Budi and his sister go thrifting in the old part of town.
intransitive: go thrifting
Nanda thrifted nearly all the furniture in her apartment over three months.
Clive loves thrifting for vintage records and old paperback novels.
Fatima thrifted a jacket that still had the original tags attached to it.
- bargain-hunt
broader — you can bargain-hunt anywhere, not only in secondhand shops
- secondhand-shop
can be used as a verb but is far less common than 'thrift'
文法句型
thrift + direct object
go thrifting
用法筆記
Can be used transitively ('She thrifted a lamp') or intransitively ('We spent the afternoon thrifting'). The past tense is 'thrifted'. Common in casual, everyday English; less frequent in formal writing.