as in crammed
to fit (people or things) into a tight space
the organizers of the county fair shoehorned the craft booths between the midway and the farm exhibits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoehorned
Too often, modern technologies, like inter-device connectivity and artificial intelligence, are shoehorned into gadgets that would be more intuitive to use, affordable, accessible, and/or durable without them.
—
ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
Learning cannot be condensed into an accelerated course, shoehorned into a semester calendar, rushed and prodded along.
—Peter Wayne Moe, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2026
Since then, these standalone console titles have mostly disappeared, been shoehorned into an Ultimate Team mode or moved to mobile.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 14 Mar. 2026
That bill was watered down, however, and eventually got shoehorned into the one that passed Friday.
—Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Kevin isn’t any more random or inexplicably shoehorned into the story than Irene or Glem.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
In Short’s case, the flattening is particularly egregious, because the inchoate facts of her life are shoehorned into the obsessions of amateur sleuths who continue to get those facts wrong.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Williams is being shoehorned into a rotation that’s suddenly getting more crowded, providing coach Charles Lee with a good problem in the health department for once.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 16 Jan. 2026
In typical Hollywood fashion, though, a spin on the concept just had to be shoehorned in here.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
Learning cannot be condensed into an accelerated course, shoehorned into a semester calendar, rushed and prodded along.
—Peter Wayne Moe, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2026
Since then, these standalone console titles have mostly disappeared, been shoehorned into an Ultimate Team mode or moved to mobile.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 14 Mar. 2026
That bill was watered down, however, and eventually got shoehorned into the one that passed Friday.
—Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Kevin isn’t any more random or inexplicably shoehorned into the story than Irene or Glem.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
In Short’s case, the flattening is particularly egregious, because the inchoate facts of her life are shoehorned into the obsessions of amateur sleuths who continue to get those facts wrong.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Williams is being shoehorned into a rotation that’s suddenly getting more crowded, providing coach Charles Lee with a good problem in the health department for once.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 16 Jan. 2026
In typical Hollywood fashion, though, a spin on the concept just had to be shoehorned in here.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoehorned
Verb
-
Thousands crammed into Wollman Rink in Central Park, others flocked to local bars and a number of venues across the area.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
-
On a Wednesday evening in April, three hundred people crammed into the lime-green auditorium of a high school to hear representatives from across the political spectrum debate the population cap.—
Jessi Jezewska Stevens,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Hart had just stuffed a breakaway attempt by Hall that would’ve extended Carolina’s lead to four.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
In December 2025, thieves in Massachusetts stole a truck stuffed with $400,000 in lobster meat bound for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Profits are squeezed because of the RAM crisis and Samsung has responded with price increases and weaker deals.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
As the fans beyond it jumped to their feet with their hands raised, Reynolds reached over and squeezed his glove shut around what would have been the go-ahead home run.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoehorned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoehorned. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
