shoestring

¹shoe·string

noun \ˈshü-ˌstriŋ\

Definition of SHOESTRING

1

: shoelace

2

[from shoestrings being a typical item sold by itinerant vendors] : a small sum of money : capital inadequate or barely adequate to the needs of a transaction <started the business on a shoestring>

Examples of SHOESTRING

1. <trying to start a business on a shoestring>

First Known Use of SHOESTRING

1616

Related to SHOESTRING

Synonyms

chicken feed [slang], chump change, dime, hay, peanuts, pin money, pittance, mite, song, two cents

Antonyms

big buck(s), boodle, bundle, fortune, king's ransom, megabuck(s), mint, wad

Related Words

petty cash, pocket money, spending money

Near Antonyms

bankroll, capital, funds, means, wherewithal; opulence, pelf, riches, treasure, wealth; heap, pile, pot; bonanza, mine, treasure trove, treasury

Rhymes with SHOESTRING

Anqing, backswing, Baoding, bedspring, Beijing, bi-swing, bitewing, bowstring, bullring, Chongqing, clearwing, downswing, drawstring, D ring, earring, first-string, forewing, G-string, greenwing, growth ring, hairspring, hamstring, handspring, headspring, heartstring, hind wing, hot spring, Kunming, lacewing, lapwing, latchstring, left-wing, mainspring, Nanjing, Nan Ling, Nanning, O-ring, offspring, plaything, redwing, right-wing, seal ring, slip ring, sure thing, unsling, unstring, upspring, upswing, waxwing, wellspring, whitewing, wingding, Xining

²shoestring

adjective

Definition of SHOESTRING

1

: narrow and long like a shoestring <shoestring french fries>

2

: operating on, accomplished by, or consisting of a small amount of money or capital <a shoestring budget>

First Known Use of SHOESTRING

1878