watch the pennies

verb

To be careful about how much one spends; to try to save money wherever possible.

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Meanings

verbwatch the pennies (third-person singular simple present watches the pennies, present participle watching the pennies, simple past and past participle watched the pennies)

present singular third person watches the pennies · participle present watching the pennies · participle past watched the pennies · past watched the pennies

  1. To be careful about how much one spends; to try to save money wherever possible.

    The Royal Household faces very different cost of living pressures to everyone else, but it is still required to watch the pennies (well, the millions anyway).

    2025 July 9, Dickon Ross, “Cost-effective Royal Train: the King's conundrum”, in RAIL, number 1039, page 3
Cite this entry
APA

watch the pennies. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20the%20pennies

MLA

“watch the pennies.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20the%20pennies. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “watch the pennies,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20the%20pennies.

Source: watch the pennies on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.