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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Zhang built and launched Cara on a shoestring as a place where artists could share work in an environment where no consent could plausibly be implied. — Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Cox, working like a shoestring Peckinpah, sets up Strindler against the crooks who run the border town — the corrupt mayor and sheriff and a wealthy rancher. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 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

Last month’s average price was a dime more than in 2022, the last time prices surged, following the start of the Russian war against Ukraine.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Last season, according to TruMedia, defenses were in nickel or dime packages — five or six defensive backs — on close to 70 percent of snaps.

— Daniel Popper, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of dime

Adjective

At a little under two feet, the can’t-miss fixture spreads a warm light that creates a welcoming atmosphere for reading, relaxing, or sharing drinks without harsh overhead lighting or a spindly, corner-lurking, fluorescent presence.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026
In this splendid and very hot outfit, completed with spindly heeled sandals, Allie reluctantly toddles off into the night to join her glimmering, mini-skirted sisters.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of spindly

Adjective

Colman, in stringy auburn hair, makes a crisply delectable antagonist (who is really, of course, on Ian’s side).

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
If using a Satsuma, peel it by hand, remove any particularly thick, stringy bits or pieces of pith, and then cut it into similar shapes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of stringy

Adjective

Some Grouper tracks are cosmic, with synths appearing like auroras along the firmament; others use wispy, haunted vocals and acoustic guitar like gentle brushstrokes on a boundless canvas.

— Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
What to read next Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, or Mio, meanwhile, will focus on the planet's surroundings — its magnetosphere and wispy atmosphere, as well as the dust cluttering up its neighborhood.

— Meghan Bartels, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of wispy

Adjective

Something happened when the Clippers included a lanky rookie point guard named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a trade for Paul George.

— Law Murray, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
On a recent afternoon, the lanky, mustachioed Zucker, wearing a T-shirt, ballcap and small hoop earrings, bears little resemblance to his comic alter ego who sports a tattered suit with gag props stuffed in every pocket.

— Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of lanky

Adjective

However, the primary reason for these willowy airfoils is entirely practical.

— David Szondy August 04, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2026
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

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 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoestring

noun

adjective

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