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
as in spindly
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoestring
Mark Johanson, Time, 12 Mar. 2026
A lot of new late-night shows operate on even more of a shoestring.
—Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 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
Opened on a shoestring with partner Carolina Colque, the restaurant has just 12 tables arranged beneath the silhouette of the Licancabur Volcano.
—Mark Johanson, Time, 12 Mar. 2026
A lot of new late-night shows operate on even more of a shoestring.
—Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 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
-
Blanton’s improvisational leanings wrench this aesthetic away from the realm of the programmatic, allowing his tracks to warp on a dime and filling them with plentiful rewinds, glitches, and abstract codas.—
Maxie Younger,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Pack layers, as the weather here can shift on a dime, with winter bringing storms that roll in off the Pacific.—
Alanna Bennett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Most city kids were smooth-skinned, pale, and spindly, although Xi stands out in photographs as unusually robust, ruddy-cheeked, and well-fed.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Despite being a spindly 180 pounds, he has not been worn down by the rigors of the Big 10 or the NCAA tournament, having scored in double figures in every game since the calendar turned to 2026.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And in 2026, USF researchers forecast another record for masses of the stringy stuff beaching in Florida.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The two women haven’t spoken in 10 years when Mother Mary shows up on Sam Anselm’s doorstep with sad eyes and stringy hair, like a lost dog who got caught in the rain, and her spurned BFF leaps at the chance to make the most of her leverage.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The land is an overcrowded cattle pasture in a wispy meadow on West Flint Drive with a house, a barn and a corral.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Apr. 2026
-
White and wispy spring blooms stand above foliage from late spring to early summer.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Choose Rustic Materials Wood structures and twiggy supports throughout the garden give it a timeless charm.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Instead of letting the lanky, nearly 7-foot Durant corral the loose ball, the 6-3 Smart dove to secure it for himself.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Voller then spoke of Angel — a lanky star baseball pitcher who, months before the explosion, had finished a perfect 10-0 season for his Stockton charter school.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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 25 Apr. 2026.
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