shoehorned; shoehorning; shoehorns
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
Otis PortExamples 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
Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
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
Lou Murray, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
With a roster that includes Margot Robbie, Miles Teller and Brooke Shields, Ullman says tariff anxiety shoehorned into an already volatile market and tense political climate has pushed clients to be far more conservative.
—Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoehorn
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Noun
Get dressed easier and reduce the need to bend with the help of this adjustable shoehorn, which doubles as a dressing stick and sock remover.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
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
Verb
Of course, that’s exactly what Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu and the developer want; A knockdown, drag out, talk radio donnybrook over a shelter being shoehorned into a tiny former nursing home nestled among a family neighborhood in the Holy Name parish.
—Lou Murray, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
With a roster that includes Margot Robbie, Miles Teller and Brooke Shields, Ullman says tariff anxiety shoehorned into an already volatile market and tense political climate has pushed clients to be far more conservative.
—Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoehorn
Cite this Entry
“Shoehorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoehorn. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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