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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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoestring
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Mickela Mallozzi dances with the same fervor that Anthony Bourdain brought to eating, that Sam Brown brings to vacationing, and that Rick Steves brings to doing Europe on a shoestring.
—Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 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
Meanwhile, the department was operating on a shoestring budget, employees complained, repeatedly requesting funds from Hanceville’s city council.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Mickela Mallozzi dances with the same fervor that Anthony Bourdain brought to eating, that Sam Brown brings to vacationing, and that Rick Steves brings to doing Europe on a shoestring.
—Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 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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Jamal Murray has been torching opposing defenses, and Nikola Jokić is dropping dimes left and right.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Italian metal extremist has been going down a rabbit hole of his own with a series of highly technical I, Voidhanger releases marked by extraterrestrial synth work and winding, stop-on-a-dime riffs.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Known as the night-blooming cereus, the plant spends most of the year blending into the desert as a spindly, stick-like shrub.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Once a spindly but speedy left midfielder, the 25-year-old Ahmed has developed into a tactically astute and fearless attacking player who has adapted to the physical English Championship with Norwich City far quicker than expected.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
They’re made of pairs and trios of quarks that are bound together by stringy trails of gluons.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
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Use a bit of hair powder to keep your bangs from appearing stringy.—
Krista Carter,
InStyle,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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From 1964 portrait sessions to The Supremes publicity stills in ‘66, the singer’s shapely ‘do often delicately framed her wispy lashes.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Thin hair tends to have wispy ends.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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All types of roses, except climbing varieties, can be pruned to remove long canes, dead or declining portions and twiggy growths.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
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Wholesale shearing results in plants with dense foliage atop dead, twiggy branches.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Aaron, a lanky public defender and former college football kicker, led off.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Scarborough is also a long, lanky right-hander from central Florida, and like deGrom, his fastball is a real weapon.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Moss-colored chaise longues in the living area, piled with pillows and wool blankets, are perfectly positioned to take in the view, as are the four-poster beds with wool-blend mattresses and willowy gauzy curtains.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
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Given the differences in Western and Eastern beauty standards, and the realities of setting a romance in the hockey world, neither Shane nor Ilya fit the mold of BL’s feminine, willowy bishonen.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That reedy Vox Continental organ sound would re-emerge during the punk and New Wave era of the late 1970s and early ’80s with Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns and Elvis Costello and the Attractions.—
Hector Saldana,
San Antonio Express-News,
9 Mar. 2026
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At the Upper West Side outpost of the Strand, the actor is a reedy presence, his small figure buried in a large North Face winter jacket and topped with a shock of curly hair.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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