penny-wise and/but pound-foolish
idiom
: careful about small amounts of money but not about large amounts
—used especially to describe something that is done to save a small amount of money now but that will cost a large amount of money in the future
The plans to cut funding are penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Cite this Entry
“Penny-wise and/but pound-foolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penny-wise%20and%2Fbut%20pound-foolish. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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