SHOESTRING Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

shoestring 1 of 2

noun

ˈshü-ˌstriŋ

Definition of shoestring

as in dime

a very small sum of money trying to start a business on a shoestring

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shoestring

2 of 2

adjective

as in spindly

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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

While New York is also known as the most expensive city to live in, there's plenty of fun to have on a shoestring. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026 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

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

Noun

Just days before Ali G appeared at Wimbledon with some dime bags and pre-rolls, reports emerged that Baron Cohen had finished filming a new movie as the character.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2026
The game, and really the program, turned on a dime in the first half when Lowry, hemmed in deep in the paint, opted to work his way out by throwing a punch at Keith Langford’s groin.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 July 2026

Definition of dime

Adjective

Too few nutrients, or not enough fertilizer, for petunias looks like leggy, spindly growth, pale color, few or no blooms, and slow growth.

— Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026
These wonders can grow as strange, twisted bushes or as giant, spindly trees.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026

Definition of spindly

Adjective

The seed is held inside a stringy, pulpy husk, which should be cleaned, then removed.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 7 July 2026
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

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

Remove any twiggy branches that are thinner than a pencil, branches that cross each other, and all dead or diseased branches.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 July 2026
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

Definition of twiggy

Adjective

His junior season, though, is when that lanky frame finally filled out.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 15 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.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026

Definition of lanky

Adjective

Cosmos Cosmos help create an ethereal-looking garden, thanks to their long, willowy stems and bright, fluffy blooms that come in dozens of vibrant colors, from rich chocolate cosmos to delicate ‘Apricotta’ tones.

— Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 8 July 2026
Or gawky characters, all angular bone structures and willowy limbs?

— Max Berlinger, Vogue, 3 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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shoes

shoestring

shone

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“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoestring

noun

adjective

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