shoe-leather

adjective

shoe-leath·​er ˈshü-ˌle-t͟hər How to pronounce shoe-leather (audio)
: involving or using basic, direct, or old-fashioned methods
shoe-leather journalism

Examples of shoe-leather in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Biden administration’s shoe-leather diplomacy also advanced last spring’s developments. Stephen Pomper, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2022 Martinez, 59, a Republican, has raised less than $15,000 but is hopeful his shoe-leather campaign can win votes. Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 22 July 2024 The consummate process film is a deliberate portrayal of shoe-leather journalism and uncovering the government rot from the outside in. Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 26 June 2024 Premiering Wednesday on Apple TV+, the eight-episode series from creator Paul Rutman (Indian Summers) weaves slippery social issues into its suspenseful tale of a decade old murder, institutional power dynamics, and good old-fashioned shoe-leather police work. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2024 But Jenna Ortega’s movie-star confidence in the title role more than eclipses Martin Freeman’s shoe-leather character acting, a perhaps inevitable outcome given the age and gender politics exercised in its story — but not necessarily one that gets at something truly interesting. Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024 The one piece of advice she’s found comforting is that some owners are able to recover their dogs, either through a reward or shoe-leather canvassing. William Wan, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023 Others pursued old-school, shoe-leather journalism, forming teams to visit refugee camps and document allegations of war crimes, and collected evidence by transferring videos via Bluetooth or USB drives. Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023 The series has its cake and eats it, too, blending high-stakes, shoe-leather reporting with thriller sizzle. Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shoe-leather.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoe-leather was in 1951

Dictionary Entries Near shoe-leather

Cite this Entry

“Shoe-leather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoe-leather. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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