bargain-basement

1 of 2

adjective

bar·​gain-base·​ment ˈbär-gən-ˈbās-mənt 

1

: of inferior quality or worth

2

: markedly inexpensive

bargain-basement rates

bargain basement

2 of 2

noun

: a section of a store (such as the basement) where merchandise is sold at reduced prices

Synonyms

Adjective

• cheap
• reasonable
• inexpensive
• affordable

Examples of bargain-basement in a Sentence

Adjective

throughout the trip we ate at bargain-basement restaurants in order to save money

bargain-basement shoes that fell apart after a week

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Companies such as Shein and Temu have had a meteoric rise in the past five years, appealing to Western customers with a huge offering at bargain-basement prices. —Olivia Pinnock, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Instead, first Anna and Tess and then Harper and Lily land at the table of bargain-basement psychic Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer, working hard for little dividend), who surprises even herself by intuiting that the older Colemans’ lifelines have intersected before. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025

Noun

Just over 20,000 apartments are covered by rent control, which only applies to tenants who have lived in the same apartment since 1971 and typically come with bargain basement rents. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2025

Amazon's annual mega sale brings bargain basement prices on everything from electronics, clothes, office supplies and more to a computer screen near you. —Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 6 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bargain-basement

• abasement
• debasement
• defacement
• displacement
• effacement
• emplacement
• encasement
• misplacement
• outplacement
• replacement
• basement
• placement