shoehorn

1 of 2

noun

shoe·​horn ˈshü-ˌhȯrn 

: a curved piece (as of horn, wood, or metal) used in putting on a shoe

shoehorn

2 of 2

verb

shoehorned; shoehorning; shoehorns

transitive verb

1

: to force to be included or admitted

shoehorned irrelevant arguments into his essay

2

: to force or compress into an insufficient space or period of time : squeeze

shoehorn the past, present, and future into about 500 pages

—Otis Port

Synonyms

Verb

• cram
• squeeze
• stuff

Examples of shoehorn in a Sentence

Verb

A parking garage has been shoehorned between the buildings.

She's trying to shoehorn a year's worth of classes into a single semester.

I don't know how they managed to shoehorn everyone into that little room.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Stephanie doesn’t use her wealth like a shoehorn, trying to fit herself into a situation like Sutton Stracke does. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025

Affordable fundamentals Recent years have seen student housing developers compete to shoehorn as many luxury amenities as possible into residential communities, from boxing gyms to makers spaces and luxury spas. —Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Verb

The matches are shoehorned into the tournaments, often on outer courts and at odd times. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025

In a movie full of overwrought conversations and shoehorned interactions, perhaps that’s the lesson. —Elle Carroll, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1589, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shoehorn

• adorn
• airborne
• blackthorn
• broomcorn
• buckhorn
• buckthorn
• careworn
• firstborn
• foodborne
• forborne
• forewarn
• forlorn

Kids Definition

shoehorn

noun

shoe·​horn

-ˌhȯrn

: a curved piece (as of metal) to help in putting on a shoe