thrift

1 of 2

noun

plural thrifts
1
: careful management especially of money
2
: a savings bank or savings and loan association

called also thrift institution

3
: healthy and vigorous growth
4
chiefly Scotland : gainful occupation
5
: any of a genus (Armeria) of low-growing perennial evergreen herbs of the plumbago family
especially : a tufted herb (A. maritima) with pink or white flower heads

thrift

2 of 2

verb

thrifted; thrifting; thrifts

transitive + intransitive

: to shop for or buy used goods especially at a store that specializes in secondhand merchandise
''My theory is whether you have the money to pay full price or not, why wouldn't you want to get more bang for your fashion buck?'' said Quincy Colman, 41, an habitué of Goodwill, who started thrifting when she was a teenager.Patrice J. Williams
"Gen-Z is also very much interested in secondhand shopping. It is intentional and cool to thrift now, whereas in the 1960s and 1970s it was considered counterculture."Allison Pfingst
"But I didn't end up buying the hot $200 dress. … Instead, I thrifted a jumpsuit."Laura McMullen

Examples of thrift in a Sentence

Noun Through hard work and thrift they sent all of their children to college. through hard work and thrift our father was able to raise the money to put all four of us through college
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Finally, Dot takes us to a school bus she’s converted into a thrift store. Jonah Gercke, SPIN, 15 Mar. 2024 And that’s where the annals of gadget history, splayed out across eBay auctions and thrift stores shelves, can start to feel relevant again. Chris Velazco, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 To witness her tear through a thrift store was to see Baryshnikov leap, to see Callas flip into head voice. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024 As with estate sales, Counts tries to stay within the bounds of her personal style when scouring thrift stores, to prevent sensory overload. Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 That space, which now has a brick and mortar location, stocks a diverse selection of reads curated from library sales and thrift stores. Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Those who shop at the thrift stores benefit from lower cost items. Vanessa Infanzon, Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024 According to Koenen, the exchange fills a vacuum for things thrift stores such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army won’t or can’t accept. Chicago Tribune, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2024 The Found Footage Festival is a celebration of the videos that time forgot, discovered in dusty thrift stores and estate sales throughout North America. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 17 Jan. 2024
Verb
Not every bride would thrift a dress for their wedding, but Monica Sallay aka @sartorialscraps had unintentionally bought her wedding dress second-hand a decade before she actually got married. Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 13 July 2021 Over the last 10 weeks, as COVID-19 left thrift stores across the world no choice but to shutter their doors, vintage enthusiasts have been forced to discover ways to thrift online. Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, 22 May 2020 The analysis of Gen Z emphasized that consumers want to thrift more. Sharon Edelson, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022 TikTok followers on her journey to thrift the perfect dress. Ebony Williams, ajc, 5 July 2022 Here's how to thrift like a pro in Houston — and some stellar store suggestions to help you get started. Rose Bruno Bailey, Chron, 1 Dec. 2021 Although Daman didn’t thrift any of the costumes on the original Gossip Girl, the reboot is full of items from online resale sites like thredUP, The Real Real, and Depop. Frances Solá-Santiago, refinery29.com, 15 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thrift.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse, prosperity, from thrīfask to thrive

Verb

derivative of thrift entry 1 (from its attributive use in thrift shop)

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thrift was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near thrift

Cite this Entry

“Thrift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thrift. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thrift

noun
: careful management especially of money

Legal Definition

thrift

noun
: an institution that promotes saving and provides mortgages
especially : savings and loan association

called also thrift institution

More from Merriam-Webster on thrift

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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