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 questions suggest that the commissioners want to see something better than what is offered at Portside Pier, where a second floor walkway was shoehorned into the project after its design, creating a sometimes-awkward experience for restaurant patrons and the public. —Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025

The Bundestrainer prioritized squad building over trying to shoehorn big personalities into the team. —Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 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