shoestring 1 of 2

noun

ˈshü-ˌstriŋ How to pronounce shoestring (audio)
Definition of shoestringnext
as in dime
a very small sum of money trying to start a business on a shoestring

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shoestring

2 of 2

adjective

as in spindly

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 shoestring
Noun
Rosenthal and other salary cap critics point out that wild spending is no guarantee of success, and many clubs operating on a shoestring, like the Milwaukee Brewers, have found ways to win consistently. — David Faris, TheWeek, 15 June 2026 With the summer of 2026 nearly upon us, the Knicks and Spurs again battle for the NBA title and a trio of shoestring horror movies use the Internet to change the film business forever. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 31 May 2026
Adjective
First-time customer Regan Hau ate the chili alongside a basket of shoestring french fries, an item Waite said Town Topic didn’t offer until the ‘80s. — Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025 Shot on a shoestring $2 million budget from private financing by Altavista Films — a rarity in late-’90s Mexico where most movies were still state-subsidized — Amores Perros was edited by Iñárritu himself, in his home, over several grueling months. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoestring
  1. dime
  2. spindly
  3. stringy
  4. wispy
  5. twiggy
  6. lanky
  7. willowy
  8. reedy
Noun
  • My thumb and index finger pinched together to grab a dime, while my middle finger reached farther to pick up coins that had rolled under the edge of a cabinet.
    — Steven Lautzenheiser, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • The coins include the quarter, dime, nickel and penny, as well as signature coins, all with unique elements and features emblematic of the nation's milestone.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 28 June 2026
Definition of dime
Adjective
  • These wonders can grow as strange, twisted bushes or as giant, spindly trees.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
  • Oh no, Armand’s got his spindly roots in the band!
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Definition of spindly
Adjective
  • Among them is, naturally, the stringy bikini look, and Kylie Jenner appears more than happy to kick off the season while soaking in every second of her dreamy Kylie Cosmetics trip.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 4 June 2026
  • Everyone is bulbous, stringy, or malformed.
    — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Definition of stringy
Adjective
  • With this capability, Rubin can reveal details of the cosmos across an enormous range of scales, from distant galaxies, to individual stars, to the wispy clouds of dust spread throughout our galaxy.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • While the look screams confidence with its crisp and clean cuts, the wispy and delicate ends that curl inward towards the jaw give a feminine touch.
    — Alyssa Rotunno, InStyle, 1 July 2026
Definition of wispy
Adjective
  • Their twiggy legs and bony frames exposed in bathing suits, the kids do indeed look extra vulnerable within the film’s savage landscape.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 25 May 2026
  • Hummingbirds need the safety of shrubs and twiggy trees to perch on.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 May 2026
Definition of twiggy
Adjective
  • Six days after the Yankees' first 15 batters couldn't get a hit off Bennett, the lanky left-hander retired the Angels' first 13 batters before Vaughn Grissom's fifth-inning single.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
  • Six days after the Yankees’ first 15 batters couldn’t get a hit off Bennett, the lanky left-hander retired the Angels’ first 13 batters before Vaughn Grissom’s fifth-inning single.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of lanky
Adjective
  • Or gawky characters, all angular bone structures and willowy limbs?
    — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 3 July 2026
  • Joint was comfortable with Williams’s pace, and stronger than her willowy frame suggested.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
Definition of willowy
Adjective
  • The prosecutor, Johann Frischman, laid out, in a reedy voice, the criminal complaint.
    — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Among those acolytes is Lucien (Jérémy Gillet), a reedy, repressed young virgin who yearns to be part of the gay community but hasn’t the courage to come out to his domineering mother Christine (Elisabeth Wiener), who also just happens to be the country’s very right-wing health minister.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 May 2026
Definition of reedy

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Cite this Entry

“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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