as in dime
a very small sum of money
trying to start a business on a shoestring
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in spindly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoestring
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
His brand is scrappy, by-the-skin-of-our-teeth filmmaking with shoestring budgets and, in early days, iPhones serving as film cameras.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2021
Recent polls show that public opinion of Trump is souring as former Vice President Joe Biden pulls ahead in crucial swing states, despite a shoestring campaign and self-confinement to his Delaware home.
—Justin Sink, Bloomberg.com, 12 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Noun
Stearns was Cohen’s white whale, a boy wonder who turned the team in the league’s smallest market, Milwaukee, into a perennial contender on a shoestring budget.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
His brand is scrappy, by-the-skin-of-our-teeth filmmaking with shoestring budgets and, in early days, iPhones serving as film cameras.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The nonpartisan Wahl-O-Mat runs on a shoestring annual budget of 100,000 euros, or $120,000, with just three staff members under the aegis of the federal agency for civic education (BPB), Pamela Brandt, project manager since 2004, said in an interview.
—Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2021
Recent polls show that public opinion of Trump is souring as former Vice President Joe Biden pulls ahead in crucial swing states, despite a shoestring campaign and self-confinement to his Delaware home.
—Justin Sink, Bloomberg.com, 12 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoestring
Noun
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That doesn't just turn on a dime.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
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Thankfully, the retailer has a complimentary 30-day free trial for new members, so signing up won’t cost you a dime!—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
During that time, three astronauts tested the spindly lunar excursion module in Earth orbit.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
In Vivo 17 is a classic alien design, with a big head and huge black bug eyes and long, spindly fingers.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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Lipa wore a dazzling backless white Bottega Veneta gown that featured a low-cut halter neckline, basketweave construction, and wispy feathers that lined the skirt.—
Robyn Merrett,
InStyle,
7 June 2026
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Look out for delicate, wispy cloud formations that shine silver and blue in the twilight, while other clouds near the horizon appear dark and silhouetted in the evening sky.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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Hummingbirds need the safety of shrubs and twiggy trees to perch on.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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Green's first two seasons in college went according to script and the lanky downfield threat was as good as advertised, earning first-team All-SEC honors in back-to-back years.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
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There might have been a little fear of a 6-foot-6 lanky kid who was looking pretty solid.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Shredded vegetables — carrot, ginger, papaya, shallot and cucumber, some pickled and some fresh — are arranged, per the original name, over top in willowy repose.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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The first-class crew are divinely shady, with willowy Brooke Lynn Hytes making Amber a kind of drag Disney villainess.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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Firm if slightly sweaty handshake notwithstanding, there’s a gentleness to Root; old-school manners, slender shoulders and a reedy Sheffield twang.—
James Wallace,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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