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

That saved money for the shoestring production, plus the 1928 Spanish style house had a fairy-tale quality that felt right for the dark Cinderella story. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 June 2026 Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 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

The majority of Fortune 500 CEOs are now flying private on the company dime, according to the executive data firm Equilar.

— Sam Klebanov, Fortune, 27 July 2026
And the people a commitment serves need real standing in how it is directed, the way Hartford insurers surveyed a neighborhood's residents before allocating a dime to it.

— Tonya M. Evans, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of dime

Adjective

Across this paradise the finch-like honeycreeper flits, feeding off the red spindly flowers of the evergreen ‘ōhi‘a lehua tree.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Too few nutrients, or not enough fertilizer, for petunias looks like leggy, spindly growth, pale color, few or no blooms, and slow growth.

— Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026

Definition of spindly

Adjective

The seed is held inside a stringy, pulpy husk, which should be cleaned, then removed.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 7 July 2026
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

Definition of stringy

Adjective

Additionally, wispy bangs are much more easily styled than curtain or blunt.

— Emma Ashe, Southern Living, 26 July 2026
Eight players were separated by four shots going into the final round on a course that is baked and brown and running fast but with wispy rough that really makes avoiding bunkers the biggest challenge.

— Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026

Definition of wispy

Adjective

Remove any twiggy branches that are thinner than a pencil, branches that cross each other, and all dead or diseased branches.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 July 2026
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

Definition of twiggy

Adjective

Also try trimming back the lanky shoots a few inches to encourage new growths with blooms.

— Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026
The lanky 26-year-old ascended the Astros’ pitching hierarchy as a starting pitcher but has blossomed into a swingman in Houston’s bullpen during his first full major-league season.

— The Athletic MLB Staff, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of lanky

Adjective

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
Or gawky characters, all angular bone structures and willowy limbs?

— Max Berlinger, Vogue, 3 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 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoestring

noun

adjective

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