economizing

/iˈkɒn.ə.maɪz/ (bre, ipa) · [ɪkˈɑnəmˌaɪzɪŋ] /iˈkɑː.nə.maɪz/ (ame, ipa) · [ɪkˈɑnəmˌaɪzɪŋ] /i-ˈkä-nə-ˌmīz/ (ame, mw)

economizing — 動詞

  • economizingpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • economizings3rd person singular
  • economizinging-ing form
  • economizingedpast simple

1. to spend less money than you normally do by buying cheaper products or cutting b

1.動詞不及物B1
釋義

節省

減少支出以省錢

to spend less money than you normally do by buying cheaper products or cutting back on certain services, in order to save or to have enough for essential things.

例句

After losing his job, Kian started economizing by cooking at home instead of eating out.

Kian 在失業後開始節省開支，自己在家煮飯而不出去吃。

economize by + gerund

Maja economized on her electricity bill by turning off lights during the day.

Maja 為了節省電費，白天把燈關掉。

economized on + noun (bill)

同義詞
  • save

    more general — you can save without reducing spending; economizing specifically means cutting expenses

  • cut back

    more casual; often implies reducing quantity ('cut back on eating out')

  • tighten one's belt

    informal idiom for making difficult financial cuts

反義詞
  • splash out

    informal British; to spend a lot of money on something enjoyable

  • splurge

    to spend money freely or extravagantly

文法句型

economize on [noun phrase]

economize by [gerund phrase]

用法筆記

Most commonly used with 'on' followed by the thing being spent less on (e.g., 'economize on food', 'economize on travel'). Can also appear alone when the context is clear from the situation.

常見錯誤

❌I want to economize money on food.
✅I want to economize on food.
💡'economize' is intransitive; the thing you cut spending on follows 'on', not as a direct object.

2. to use something such as time, energy, fuel, or raw materials in a careful and e

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

節用

善用資源避免浪費

to use something such as time, energy, fuel, or raw materials in a careful and efficient way so that none of it is wasted.

例句

The factory economized on water by installing a recycling system for industrial use.

這家工廠安裝了工業用水回收系統，以節約用水。

economized on + noun (water)

Folake economized her energy by planning her daily tasks before starting work.

Folake 在開始工作前先規劃好當天的任務，以節省精力。

economized + direct object (energy) — transitive

同義詞
  • conserve

    more common with natural resources like water or energy; implies keeping something from being used up

  • husband

    formal; to use resources carefully and not waste them

  • ration

    implies a fixed, limited allowance — stricter than economizing

反義詞
  • waste

    to use more than needed of something

  • squander

    to waste something in a foolish way

文法句型

economize [noun phrase]

economize on [noun phrase]

用法筆記

This sense can take a direct object ('economize time', 'economize energy'), where sense 1 cannot. It is also more common in formal or technical writing about resource management.

常見錯誤

❌She economized water by taking shorter showers.
✅She economized on water by taking shorter showers.' or 'She conserved water by taking shorter showers.
💡'economize water' as a transitive verb is grammatically possible but less natural in everyday speech; 'conserve' is more common for natural resources.