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
Pamela McElwee, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2025
Not that there’s anything remotely extravagant about a schlock programmer whose amateurish acting and sparse production values betray its shoestring budget.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg.com, 7 May 2020
In Greater Cincinnati, a mighty, mostly volunteer needle-exchange effort on a shoestring budget started in 2014.
—Terry Demio, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Noun
Only a handful of ecosystem restoration projects were attempted, hampered by shoestring budgets.
—Pamela McElwee, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2025
Not that there’s anything remotely extravagant about a schlock programmer whose amateurish acting and sparse production values betray its shoestring budget.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
In 2016, the Trump campaign relied on stadium rallies, TV appearances and social media to compensate for its shoestring budget and thin staffing.
—Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg.com, 7 May 2020
In Greater Cincinnati, a mighty, mostly volunteer needle-exchange effort on a shoestring budget started in 2014.
—Terry Demio, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoestring
Noun
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The two species share copper-colored, spotted metallic legs that resemble safari-print pants and are both about 15-17 millimeters long, about the diameter of a dime.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
14 May 2025
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Instead, Perez said, DeSantis has been flying around the state on the taxpayers’ dime trashing the House spending plan.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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The spindly 6-0, 170-pounder made big strides each season after that.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Keep in mind, in the world of asparagus, thin and spindly is not always better than thick and chunky.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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More specifically, fuzzballs and stringy supermazes have emerged as a way to solve a puzzle called the black hole information paradox.—
Clara Moskowitz,
Scientific American,
7 Apr. 2025
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Their pads look deflated compared to the life rafts strapped to goalies today, the ones that make stringy 6-foot-4 bean poles look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the 17-year-old’s lanky 6ft 3in (190cm) frame and composure on the ball stood out and his return is eagerly awaited.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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At 6-3, 191 pounds, Campbell presents a lanky frame in the middle of the infield or in the outfield.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Just who was this willowy blond from Iowa City, Iowa?—
Gia Kourlas,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
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Only two bodies remain still: Ferran’s, in one corner of the platform, and that of a young man (Jabez Sykes) diagonally across from her, tall and willowy and pale — two statues that seem moonlit while the rest of the world writhes and sweats around them.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In 2016, after a reedy Canadian professor named Jordan Peterson refused to use gender-neutral pronouns, he was taken up as a folk hero, like Galileo standing firm against the Inquisition.—
Andrew Marantz,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
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The reedy, tree-like grass is a panda’s primary food source, especially the shoots.—
Monica Cull,
Discover Magazine,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That might be tricky given New York’s tight cap situation.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Autonomous vehicle technology has been hard to commercialize, with tight regulations and heavy investments forcing many companies to give up.—
Akash Sriram,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The tall and rangy Lincoln, strengthened by physical labor, was an expert wrestler who was not afraid of bullies.—
John Baldoni,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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Carlies, a 2024 fifth-round pick, showed promise as a rangy linebacker.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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