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
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Recent Examples of shoehorned
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
The special’s opening half-hour is a series of meaningful opening salvos like this, cannily shoehorned into catch-up anecdotes, each of them laying the groundwork for where Nanjiani ultimately wants the hour to land without tipping his hand in one direction or another.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
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
They were adapted from existing internal combustion engine platforms, with the electric powertrains shoehorned inside.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
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
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
The special’s opening half-hour is a series of meaningful opening salvos like this, cannily shoehorned into catch-up anecdotes, each of them laying the groundwork for where Nanjiani ultimately wants the hour to land without tipping his hand in one direction or another.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
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
They were adapted from existing internal combustion engine platforms, with the electric powertrains shoehorned inside.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoehorned
Verb
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Everything that couldn’t be crammed into their two small cars was consumed by the voracious flames.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In the summer months, the journey was a sweltering one, with dozens of sticky, sweaty passengers crammed together in the heat.—
Shoshi Parks,
Popular Science,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Inspired by a classic, comforting soup, our casserole version is stuffed full of sweet onions.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
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The new breakfast and lunch restaurant from Fonda San Miguel owner Tom Gilliland is as beautiful and serene as a four-star Mexican hotel and the empanada — firm but flaky, stuffed with quince jam and edged by baked manchego cheese — was sweet, savory and gooey with a nice touch of umami.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The fluctuations hint at an episodic, external source—potentially eruptions from a sort of super-Io satellite being tidally squeezed by its hefty planetary host.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Small businesses, squeezed by the tariffs, may be forced to absorb the loss.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoehorned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoehorned. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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